Experimentation
by Indilee
Summary: The descent. The pain. The survival. Survival is key to this game of life. And it is a game that Shadow and Sonic must learn...the hard way. (Whoo, look at me I'm all mysterious and philosophical so you'll come and read my fic) COMPLETED.
1. Part 1

Hi! I've returned! ::runs from flying things:: Um anyway! I wrote this a few days ago and I was wondering if I should continue with it. I've gotten some positive feedback from some of my other friends and I was wondering what you people thought. ^_^ Please tell me what you think.... but no flames. If its constructive criticism, then I'll accept it. ^_^ Okay? Thanks!!!!! 

****

The cloth was bitter tasting. It sat there, rolled up into a ball-like figure, claiming every crevice. His tongue moved against it, trying to budge the mass from its position, but it was a losing battle. Pushing it out of his mouth would have worked, that is, if they hadn't sealed his lips with duct tape. 

Struggling did nothing. His hands were chained together with simple metal handcuffs, reinforced with ten layers of electrical and duct tape around his wrists. His ankles were bound in the same way, only without the cuffs. Grunting, he tried to roll over, but did not get anywhere. The kidnappers were kind enough to run a heavy chain between his wrists and his ankles that connected the bonds together and prevented him from getting up. His body ached. This position was painful, for his legs were bent in a kneeling pose, and his arms were taught behind his back. He was lying on his side, staring at the musty concrete wall that faced him. Grunting as he struggled again, he bit into the acrid gag and closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened. 

His captors were smart. Smashing a pipe against the back of his head gave them their advantage. Once he had fallen forward, they leapt upon him before he had a chance to recover. One of them had stuffed his mouth with the dirty cloth while his partner tended to binding his arms. He tried to fight back, but with his wrists bound, he could not swing a punch at either of them. The man who had handcuffed him slid down to sit on his legs, pinning them from kicking. The man's partner stuffed the cloth further down his throat, waited for the gagging response, and then promptly held his head down to tape his mouth shut. He then tossed the roll of binding tape to his partner, who began to tape the struggling feet together. 

He groaned into the sour gag. Now he knew why his head hurt. The dried blood on the back of his head had dried to a crusty clot, gluing some of his black hair down. Grunting again, he tried to move, hopefully to loosen some of the bonds. A loud scratching noise startled him. Turning his head, he looked toward the rusted door. One of the men entered the empty room, walking toward him, at a quickened pace. The man reached behind his back to pull out a gleaming handgun from his pants, loudly cocked it, and aimed it downward at the captive. His crimson eyes widened, and then closed. He trembled slightly. 

Shadow was going to die.

Legal stuffs! Shadow's copyright of SEGA. :) 

Now post a review! Pwease? ::puppy eyes:: ^.^


	2. Part 2

You know… threatening to kill me will not get you more of my story! ^_^ Here's the next part. Hope it satisfies you! You know the drill. No flames please. But please tell me if I should continue of course. 

**            The shot rang out, cutting through the tension in the room. Blood spattered across his face, warming his cold cheeks as the streams ran downward to the floor. There was a soft thump against the cement. Movement ceased. **

**            He opened his eyes. **

**            Blood ran down the once dry cement wall, pooling next to the crumpled body of the kidnapper. The right side of his face had been completely shot off, exposing tender tissue and a wide blue eye that peered down at him. He shivered against his bonds and tried to look around. His scarlet eyes wandered toward the door to see a petite woman dressed in black there. **

**            She was obviously the culprit of the murder, since she was still in an offensive position, her gun drawn. The woman had brown hair, which was pulled back in a ponytail. Most of her hair was hidden under a black hat as well. Her face was emotionless and her eyes hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses. She kept her gun on the fallen human's body as she progressed forward. Once she got close enough, the woman kicked the gun away and took hold of the large chain behind Shadow's back. Pulling him away from the pooling blood, she eyed him warily, nearly turning her gun on him too. He grunted as she scraped his body against the floor, and then shuddered as the woman cleaned the kidnapper's blood off of his face with her sleeve. Shadow waited, pleading with his eyes, that she'd untie him. She stood up and inspected his body for any wounds. He winced as she touched the back of his head and gave a muffled groan behind the gag. **

**            Movement caused his eyes to move back toward the door. There was another man now, but he did not look familiar to Shadow. He was dressed in the same kind of clothing as the woman was, so it was apparent that he was her partner. There was a rather large duffel bag in his hand, but it looked crumpled, as if it were empty. Shadow eyed the newcomer as he walked up. He then noticed that the woman was fishing around inside the bag that her partner was holding. She pulled out a small bottle and a clean cloth, still watching the captive's every move. He wondered what she was up to, watching her as she put the liquid onto the cloth, thinking that perhaps she was going to tend to his head. His eyes widened as she promptly knelt down and covered his nose with the cloth. Muffled protests and struggling commenced. Her partner held him down so she would have no problem holding the cloth to his face. **

**            " Relax…" She said calmly.**

**            Shadow couldn't breathe. The vapors of the chemical had begun to affect him. He felt his eyelids getting heavier, but he continued to try and fight it with his will. **

**            " Give in."**

**            The world got blurry and slowly disappeared. **

Legal stuffs again! Shadow is © SEGA!   
Review please! ^_^;;; Pwease? I need to know if I'm doing this well enough… ^___^__


	3. Part 3

::runs from the numerous people with bludgeoning objects:: AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! Okay! Okay!!! It's here!!! O.o;;;; Next part! It's longer than the rest because I had like a Writing Spree at School on Friday. And I just had to type it up… :D So! Here you go! 

**            Everything hurt. His headache was back and he still couldn't move. He opened his eyes, or he thought he did. Vision did not come to him. Struggling, he found that parts of his arms felt raw. Shadow heard voices now. **

**            " I think the sedation wore off."**

**            A hand touched his neck, feeling around. His body twitched under it. **

**            " You're right."**

**            " What shall we do?"**

**            " Continue."**

**            " Without sedat---"**

**            " I said continue."**

**            The black hedgehog still had no idea what was going on. He knew that he was strapped down to a cold table. Each body part was secured tightly. Moving did nothing. He tried, but felt hands at his legs. The two men talked amongst themselves as he felt something cold press onto his leg. A soft buzzing noise started. Black fur fell away from his leg in patches. He gasped and struggled again. The electric razor stopped and was replaced with a cool liquid against the now exposed skin. He shuddered and felt the blade cut away his flesh. Shadow screamed. **

**            " Don't hesitate. Finish taking the tissue sample." **

**            The blade kept going. Warm blood ran from the wound, clotting against his skin as it flowed. The cut tissue disappeared from his leg, causing more blood to run down. The men did not even try to tend to it. One of the men began to collect the blood in a container and then brought it away. Shadow bit his tongue, hoping that the pain would stop. His answer was someone drawing more blood from his arm with a needle. He screamed and began pleading with them to stop. They did not listen and began to take another tissue sample from his ankle. The ebony hedgehog winced, thrashing about as he felt his blood flow.**

**            " Sedate him."**

**            Two hands held his head still as another needle prick touched his neck. The liquid burned as it was injected into him, causing him to shriek, trying to pull away. The needle left his skin and the hands followed suit. Shadow twisted around, crying out as he continued to bleed. The men stood back and watched as he tried to fight the chemicals. His screams died down to soft moans, until he finally fell asleep. **

***** **

**            His fingers twitched. A strange feeling had come over him, snubbing out the pain, for now. His body was limp, limbs free flowing at his sides. Shadow felt something surrounding his nose and mouth, and found that he could not speak. He didn't want to open his eyes, but he tried anyway. Bubbles ran up and down around him, keeping him afloat. He made a strangled gurgle as he gasped quietly, pulling the tube in his mouth down his throat some more. **

**            Shadow found himself floating in the middle of a large container, unable to move. The water kept him still, cleaning the blood from his body, but in turn, burning the exposed flesh as well. He winced and tried to move. His body wasn't responding. His vision was bad enough, for he could only see shadows of outsiders walking around. The water hurt his eyes, so he quickly closed them, trembling. There were little sensors attached to different parts of his body, applied like little suction cups. The plastic mask covering his nose and mouth allowed him to breathe with no problems. The tube down his throat was most likely for feeding, but he wasn't sure if his captors had even fed him or not. **

**            There was nothing he could do. He couldn't die, although he felt like he was, but whoever had captured him was keeping him alive within this container. He felt drained of all energy and slowly let himself shut down for a period of time. **

***** **

**            He had no idea how long he was in this container. Nobody had taken him out. Nobody came. It was like he had been detained again, like the time that GUN kept him in a frozen stasis mode. Shadow shivered. There was no way that he'd be "preserved" for another fifty years. He had managed to survive. Only to be locked away again? **

**            The irony was rather cruel to him on that part. But the only way out was to be let out, and it didn't look like his captors were going to do that for a while. His body ached from the lack of movement and malnourishment. If they had been feeding him through the tube down his throat, then they were doing a shitty job about it. **

**            Not caring about the acidic water that stung him, Shadow kept his eyes open, watching figures move to and fro in front of his glass prison. After time passed, he saw the number of figures disappear. He let his eyelids drop. Before they were more than halfway down, a hand tapped on the glass. Shadow's half lidded eyes watched the advancement and the gray outline of whoever was outside. Perhaps they were finally going to free him. A whirring sound commenced. Shadow didn't pay too much attention to it until his feet touched the bottom of his containment field. He blinked. The water was draining! He slowly felt his body collect itself on the floor as the water removed from around him. Then another whoosh sounded as the glass veil was lifted. **

**            He still couldn't move. Or speak. A hand gently rested on his shoulder as he heard the masculine voice.**

**            " Shadow."**

**            The ebony hedgehog curled into a ball, a reflex to danger. The hand did not leave. Something grasped the facemask and pulled it from him. Shadow gagged on the tube again, then felt it being pulled from out of his mouth. Once it was gone, he spit up something, shuddered, and let out a loud groan. His eyes didn't want to work and his body was very unresponsive to everything. The hands carefully examined him, muttering about the wounds that had not been tended to. **

**            Shadow felt himself being lifted. He winced since it was about the only thing that he could do. The hedgehog's arms limply hung, fingers pointed to the floor as he was cradled in someone's arms. He felt motion and found that the guy holding him was running off, ducking here and there. **

***** **

**            He didn't remember how he got out. Obviously the guy who released him had gotten him out of wherever the hell he was. But now Shadow didn't know where he was at the present time. The guy who saved him was nearby. A few other voices entered the picture. **

**            " What happened to him?" A feminine voice asked.**

**            " It looks like they were taking samples from his body." The same voice from before stated. **

**            " They didn't bandage him up or take care of his wounds when they were done?"**

**            " No. I found him being kept alive in a chemical bath of some sort."**

**            " Those fucking bastards."**

**            " He doesn't look too good…" A younger masculine voice declared.**

**            " We'll need to tend to him. Better hold him down though. I'm going to disinfect the wounds." The female said. **

**            Hands grabbed at his body. Shadow grunted and tried to fight them. He screamed as the stinging liquid pierced at his tender flesh. Everything throbbed. There were chemicals sloshing around inside of his body that stung everything. He struggled, still screaming as he was held down. Cloth wrapped around the sensitive tissue and tightened, causing him to cry out again. **

**            " You took a blood sample, right?" The older male asked.**

**            " Yes. And I'm afraid that the remedy that I concocted is going to be rather painful when I give it to him. It has to be strong to fight all the chemicals that they put inside of him, but it most likely will hurt as they mix." The female said. **

**            " Do it."**

**            Shadow thrashed around violently. Something crashed and the smaller male cried out. The older one barked commands. **

**            " HEY! We need a little help in here!!!" **

**            " Tie him down! He'll hurt himself!" The woman shrieked. **

**            " Ow…my head…." The small voice whined. **

**            " What the hell is going on in here?" A deeper voice said, coming into the room.**

**            " Help me hold him down! We need to restrain him!" **

**            " Right!"**

**            Powerful hands shoved the blinded Shadow back down, pinning him. He wailed, screaming something about letting him go. The first male started to strap him down, immobilizing him. **

**            " Hold his head still. I need to inject this…"**

**            Shadow fought blindly. One hand went to his forehead and pressed down. Another sharp prick at his neck caused him to yelp. The new substance entered his veins and began to mix, hoping to dull the chemicals within him. He calmed a little. **

**            " There. Now. Boys. Help me with this."**

**            Soft cloth touched his open wounds again. Shadow trembled, feeling everything that was going on inside of his body. The chemicals were heating up, setting his skin on fire, and causing pain on every inch of him. He gagged a little. **

**            " Hey…" The younger voice stated. " What's wrong with him? Didn't you just give him the medicine?"**

**            " Huh?" A pause. " Oh shit. Quick, turn him on his side so he doesn't choke!" **

**            Someone move him. Shadow had no control of his body now. He vomited, shoulders heaving, and then convulsed. **

**            " What's going on with him?" The first voice questioned.**

**            " His body is getting rid of the toxins any way that it can." The deeper voiced male said. **

**            _Please…_**

**            Two minutes later, Shadow threw up again. The four pairs of hands kept rolling him, making sure that he wouldn't suffocate. One of them cleaned his face and mouth after he vomited. **

**            _Just… let me…_**

**The pain was horrible. Going through the earth's atmosphere hadn't been this bad. Shadow couldn't take it. After he finally couldn't vomit anymore, he started panting. **

**            " I think the worst is over now…"**

**            It was too much. His body was on fire, and the pain was only increasing. Shadow convulsed again. The hands gripped at him, making sure that he couldn't hurt himself in a mini-seizure. **

**            _Let…me…die…_**

**            He tried to bite his tongue off. **

**            " ACK! Stop him!!!"**

**            A hand pried at his mouth, forcibly opening it and grabbed his tongue. Shadow struggled. **

**            _NO! Just let me die! I can't take it!!_**

**            " Quick! Gimme that!"**

**            Another cloth was quickly stuffed into Shadow's mouth, restraining his tongue. He gave another muffled protest as they held him down. The four tended to the last of his wounds and carefully monitored him. Shadow went limp after awhile, passing out from exhaustion.**

Legal Stuffies! Shadow is ©SEGA!

Shall I keep writing it? :) 


	4. Part 4

Terribly sorry for not getting this up in awhile. I've been very busy with school and papers and having to deal with a very stressful situation. Sorry again. This should tide you over until I get the next part written! :D 

**            A soft groan rose in his throat. Slowly opening his eyes, Shadow stared at the ceiling, watching the overhead fan blades spin slowly. He blinked, groaning again. Something moist was sitting like a brick on his forehead. Moving was an interesting concept. He could move, but his body was so stiff and sore that it took time. After pulling his arm out of the blanket that covered him, the ebony hedgehog placed his hand over his forehead, feeling the texture of the damp washcloth. Removing it, Shadow held onto it tightly as he moved his hands to his sides. Palms down, he pushed himself into a sitting position, wobbling slightly. _Where am I? _**

**            Crimson eyes scanned the room. It was a single room, relatively open, with a chair near the bed that he was sitting in. A small nightstand was to his left, with a lamp sitting on it. There was a small bowl filled with water next to it. Shadow slowly placed the washcloth back into the bowl, watching it sink. He winced and looked down at himself. **

**            His white tuft of fur on his chest looked fine. Whoever took tissue from him had left that alone. There were bandages on both of his arms, around his wrists and biceps. Another bigger bandage had been applied to his right side, just over the ribs. He didn't really want to look at his legs, but he moved them over the side of the bed, and moved the blanket away. His shoes were gone, but it didn't matter to him at the present moment. Bandages covered his ankles and thighs. Shadow touched his neck to find another piece of gauze there. **

**            Slowly placing both feet on the floor, Shadow pushed down with his palms again to get himself standing upright. He wobbled a little and grabbed the nightstand to stabilize himself. His head was spinning. **

**            " Ugh…" **

**            Without warning, hands took hold of his shoulder and arm. Shadow gasped and quickly grabbed one of the wrists as it held him still. His head stopped spinning and he realized that he was sitting down on the edge of the bed. He slowed his breathing to calm down. The hands on his skin didn't leave. Blinking, Shadow looked up to meet bright emerald eyes. Familiar emerald eyes. **

**            " Sonikku…" Shadow moaned. **

**            The azure hedgehog smiled. **

**            " You really shouldn't try walking for a few days, Shadow. Or at least without some help until you regain your strength."**

**            The black and red striped hedgehog groaned a little. Sonic pushed him backwards. **

**            " Here. Lie down."**

**            Shadow didn't really have a choice in the matter. He did what he was told, with a gentle shove from Sonic, and sighed deeply. There was a small scraping noise from the chair as Sonic sat down and leaned forward, glancing at the weak hedgehog in front of him. There were tons of questions that he wanted to ask Shadow, but he knew that now was not the time. It would have to wait. Especially since he had no idea how long Shadow had been held captive. **

**            " How are you feeling?" He asked, frowning a little. _Stupid question, considering what he must have gone through… _**

**            " My body is… well, not responding to things that I want it to…" **

**            Sonic nodded. **

**            " That should go away within the day." **

**            " Where are we?"**

**            " We're in the living quarters of Tails' workshop in Mystic Ruins."**

**            " Mystic Ruins?"**

**            " It's the forest area outside of Station Square…" **

**            Shadow thought about the name of the city. It didn't sound familiar, but then again, he hadn't really paid any attention to the name of the city that he had been in when he was freed. He didn't fret over it at the moment. **

**            " What happened to me?" He questioned. **

**            Sonic frowned slightly. He seemed reluctant for a second but spoke up soon after. **

**            " I found you at a GUN Lab." **

**            " A GUN Lab?"  
            " Yeah…I was doing some scouting around and heard that there were reports that officials had found a 'Fugitive' from the ARK incident and was taking to the GUN Labs for testing…"**

**            " Testing? For what?" He winced at his wounds.**

**            " I didn't have time to grab the chart. I found yo---" Sonic paused, face paling a little. " Ahem. I found you when I raided the Lab to see what the reports were talking about. You were in a stasis tube of some kind. Anyway, I got you out and ran like hell to get you out when the alarm sounded. Luckily for us, their security sucks so we got out with no problem."**

**            Shadow closed his eyes, trying to remember anything that might come to him. He could remember hearing the alarm go off…but not much after that. His hand gripped his arm. **

**            " Then what?" **

**            " You weren't in the best of shape. So I ran as fast as I could to get you here where Tails could help me take care of you. He helped out as best he could, but we couldn't handle trying to help you with all the poisons that they pumped into you. So he managed to track down Rouge to help, and Knuckles was scouting around Mystic Ruins, so he also helped."  
            " What happened?"**

**            " Rouge gave you a remedy to get the toxins out of your body. You were convulsing and throwing up a lot… Gave Tails a nice concussion in the process too." **

**            Shadow made a face. So that was what the taste in his mouth was… **

**            " I gave Tails a concussion?"**

**            " You kicked him pretty hard into a wall."**

**            " I'll have to apologize to him then…" His stomach gurgled a plea for food.**

**            " We can always discuss this later…Hungry?" **

**            The dark hedgehog nodded. He hadn't eaten anything decent in days, perhaps weeks, since he didn't know how long he had been in the stasis tube. **

**            " I'll get you something to eat." Sonic said, standing up. " I'll see what Rouge says about what you can and can't have. Don't want you to get sick to your stomach."**

**            The azure hedgehog departed from the room, leaving Shadow alone. He scanned his surroundings again. Sonic had told him that he was in Mystic Ruins, mainly Tails' workshop. Shadow shook his head. He had no idea where this place was. When he was released, he had only really explored the city, Prison Island, and ARK. There was much that he did not know about the world, due to his imprisonment within the GUN stronghold. Perhaps now he would be able to view the world and lead somewhat a normal life. Well, any life that was normal for a black hedgehog with red stripes.**

***** **

**            Sonic returned quickly, true to his nature. He held a box of crackers and a sandwich. **

**            " Sorry. It's all you can have until we know for sure that you won't get sick off of it. Well, according to Rouge…" **

**            " Oh quit your bellyaching, Sonic the Hedgehog and stop trying to blame me for everything." A feminine voice called after him. " After all, that means more food for you, doesn't it?" **

**            The white female treasure hunter appeared in the doorway and leaned on the doorframe, folding her arms and smiling sweetly. She was dressed in her normal revealing pink and black outfit, with matching high heels. **

**            " How are you holding up, Shadow?" She asked. **

**            Sonic had handed over the food to his dark doppelganger. Shadow was stuffing his face with the crackers, trying to appease his large appetite. Rouge smiled. **

**            " Don't eat too fast, or you'll get sick again."**

**            Shadow swallowed. His stomach seemed pleased now.**

**            " I'll live." He stated, munching on another cracker. **

**            Sonic looked back at the female bat. **

**            " I told him about how he needs to take it easy for the next couple of days unless assisted." **

**            " Good." **

**            The black hedgehog was still eating. He polished off the sandwich and put the crackers aside, staring at the two of them with his scarlet eyes. **

**            " Now...what?"**

**            " Well, you need to rest. Get some sleep. We'll check on you later." Rouge said, tapping her foot a little. " I'll go see what the boys are up to." And with that, she departed. **

**            Sonic sighed and gave Shadow a small smile. **

**            " She's right, you know. There's not much that you can do right now except rest."**

**            He nodded. This was true. He could barely stand without his head telling him that he needed to sit down again. **

**            " Don't worry. You'll get your strength back in time. I can always help you out if you need to stretch your legs. Cuz, I know that I'd be going insane with having to just sit there for days…" The azure hedgehog made a face. " Anyway, rest up. I'll be back later." **

**            Sonic made his way for the door as Shadow laid down again. He sighed quietly to himself as he tried to relax. Everything still hurt, but at least his stomach was appeased. Sonic lingered in the doorway for a moment, looking back. He made a small frown, then left. His look went unnoticed to the striped hedgehog though. Shadow was too busy watching the ceiling fan blades spin. He sighed again and closed his eyes.**

Once again: Legal Stuffies: SEGA owns Sonic, Shadow, and crew! 

Please tell me what you think. I know this isn't the most exciting chapter, but it will get a little better. I just wanted to get something up for you to read. :D 


	5. Part 5

Alright! Here's some more for you peeps to read. :) 

            **Shadow couldn't really keep up with time. He slept a lot as he recovered so the days blurred together. Slowly his strength began to return. The wounds were still there, but at least he regained use of his body. Although it wasn't always a blessing. It took time to get used to moving again. The concept itself was very painful with the flesh sores, but he ignored it whenever he could. **

**            They wouldn't let him walk on his own. Rouge had said that his legs weren't strong enough to support his weight yet. Being persistent though, Shadow managed to get around by basically using Sonic as a crutch. The cerulean hedgehog didn't seem to mind. After all, he'd probably have done the same thing if he had been in Shadow's position.**

**            The raven colored hedgehog was like a kid in a candy store. He wanted to explore everything, and do it as fast as possible. Sonic had problems even holding him still so he wouldn't attempt to run off. Rouge had given the two hedgehogs a soft glare, which got them to quiet down. Sonic continued to lead Shadow around the workshop, showing him around. For he knew. There was no way not to see how disorientated Shadow was with not knowing where the hell he was. Only way to remedy this was to show off Tails' shop, exploring every room. Tails' had no problem with their tinkering, since he really couldn't do much about helping with his small concussion. The small fox had busied himself with modifying the Tornado (again), trying to improve every little thing. Rouge had told him not to work so much, but then again, she hadn't really taken that to heart either. **

**            The workshop was a quaint size. There was the main garage area that took up more than half of the shop, due to the number of planes and cars that Tails had collected over the years, full of scrap and tools hung neatly on the walls. There used to have been only one room in the living quarters, but the area had been expanded when Sonic decided to move in. Knuckles had helped with the construction, and between the three heroes, they had the new rooms completed in about a day and a half. Now there were about four rooms. One for Sonic, one for Tails, and two for any guests. Any other room that wasn't a bedroom had been filled with scrap, tools, and other projects that the two-tailed fox had been working on. It took about an hour for Sonic and Shadow to scale around the house, even though there wasn't really much to look at. Shadow had insisted that he see everything though, so Sonic complied, not caring how long it took. Once they were done, Sonic helped Shadow back toward his room to rest, since it was apparent that the black hedgehog had burned off most of his energy. **

**            " Don't worry. You'll get better soon." Sonic said, helping him into bed. **

**            " Ugh..." The black hedgehog looked up at his blue doppelganger. " What was Rouge up to though? I thought I saw her duck into another room."**

**            " Oh." Sonic kicked at the carpeting a little bit. " That's Tails' Computer Room."**

**            " Why didn't we look at that?" **

**            Sonic laughed. **

**            " Cuz Rouge would have bit my head off. After all, she could probably knock Knux's head off, so I won't take my chances." **

**            " Speaking of your red echidna friend, you said that he had helped me too. I have not seen him around though."**

**            " Red went back to Angel Island. He should be back down in a few days. You know, Guardian stuff and all that jazz." **

**            Shadow nodded. He had come to the conclusion that it had been Knuckles who had held him down when Sonic and Rouge had been treating his wounds. The red echidna was probably the only one who could pin him completely with no help. **

**            " So what's Rouge doing in there?" He asked. **

**            A quick shrug.   
            " To tell the truth, I really don't know. I hear her cursing in there a lot, so I keep my distance." **

**            " A wise move." Shadow nodded, remembering a nice welt on the back of his head that he had received from the swift foot connecting, back on ARK. **

**            " I'm sure you can ask her once you are able to walk on your own."**

**            " You wouldn't help me see her?"**

**            " What did I just say? I happen to like walking. I got enough problems with Knuckles if I annoy him."**

**            Shadow smirked slightly. **

**            " Hungry? Want me to get you another sandwich?"**

**            " My appetite actually is quite appeased, so no thanks. I think I need another nap." **

**            " Ah. Well, I'll leave you alone then."**

**            Sonic didn't even wait for Shadow to respond and ran out of the room. The dark hedgehog watched the doorway for a moment, thinking to himself. He sighed, then flopped down, trying to get some rest.   
*** **

**            The passage of time flowed, and with it, a new hope. One morning, Shadow woke up, he pushed himself upright, glanced around, and tried his luck at walking by himself before Sonic came to check on him. He pulled himself up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Pushing down, he stood up and grasped the nightstand to stabilize himself. Breathing quietly, he looked around. His vision didn't blur, and his head didn't start spinning, so he took his chances and took a step forward, letting go of the stand. Opening his eyes, Shadow realized that he was still upright. _Yes! He walked slowly to the door, not wobbling at all, and grabbed the doorframe. Leaning up against it, he sighed deeply and smiled. __Looks like I won't be bedridden any longer. Now then, running isn't an option right now, but at least I can move about without worrying about falling on my face. He walked out of the room and down the stairs. Being confined to just the workshop had been maddening, so some fresh air was a breaking point in the insanity. _**

**            Opening the front door carefully, Shadow poked his head out of the half-opened door and glanced around. The workshop was on top of a large hill, with a plateau that jutted out to his left. He walked out onto the porch and noted the runway at the left and the stairwell in front of him. The stairs continued down the hill, greeting the grass with an abrupt end. Looking out at this part of the Mystic Ruins, Shadow surveyed the green trees and saw the train overpass. There was a tall wooden structure that led vertically to the overpass off to the far left. He could hear water flowing, noting the crisp salty smell that danced around his nose, and gazed at the horizon. The ocean was calm, its waves lapping at the walls of earth that made the cliffs next to it. Shadow took everything in as slowly as possible and descended the porch steps and headed for the large stairwell that progressed down the hill. **

***** **

**            Sonic was jostled awake by soft furry hands. **

**            " Sonic!!!" **

**            He snorted and opened his eyes, staring up at Tails' bright blue ones. **

**            " Tails? What's wrong?" He rubbed one eye with an ungloved hand. **

**            " I went to check on how Shadow was doing and he wasn't in bed!" **

**            " WHAT?!" The cobalt hedgehog shot up from his bed, nearly bowling the two tailed kisune over with one swipe. **

**            " Sonic! WAIT!"**

**            He didn't even bother putting on his shoes. Sonic took off down the hall and quickly looked in Shadow's room. It was true. The ebony hedgehog was not there. Blinking, Sonic ran off, looking around the workshop for any signs of Shadow. **

**            " What the hell is all that racket?!" Rouge's voice bellowed from her room. **

**            Ignoring her bellows, Sonic dashed around, checking every room. Shadow was no where to be found. As he ran into the airplane area, he realized that the door was wide open. ****_Don't tell me he ran off!_**** Rouge had appeared by now, dressed in her fuzzy pink robe that covered her pajamas. **

**            " Sonic? What is it?" **

**            " Shadow's gone." **

**            " What?!" She blinked at him. **

**            " The front door is open. I'm going to go look for him."**

**            " Wait for me!" Tails' called, running into the room. **

**            The headstrong hedgehog told him to stay here and rest, since he looked wobbly from his concussion already. Rouge had started to say something about trying to calm down, but he disregarded her words and bolted out the door. Sonic scanned the hilltop, noting that there was not one hair of black and red quills anywhere. He then took off down the stairs and headed into the main area of Mystic Ruins. As he ran, he cupped his hands over his mouth and screamed Shadow's name as loud as he could. **

**            Shadow jumped a little bit and turned his head toward the hill. He was leaning up against a tree near the waterfall, observing everything. A blue blur had appeared on the scene, and it was apparently looking for him. **

**            " Sonic?" He asked quietly, not expecting the blur to hear him. **

**            Skidding to a stop, Sonic looked around and noticed that he was next to a tree. **

**            " Shadow. What are you doing out here?"**

**            " I needed some fresh air." The tone seemed a little cold, but not as harsh as he could have been. **

**            Emerald eyes overlooked him, scanning for any other signs of injury. Crimson eyes met his as they stared at each other, sensing each other out. A soft breeze parted through them in a calming wave, sending their quills rocking in it. Sonic blinked. Shadow wasn't looking at him anymore. His eyes were turned toward the waterfall in front of them. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Shifting his own eyes to the waterfall, Sonic gazed at it. Neither of them spoke. They stood there, just listening to the water flowing into its path. A soft whirring noise could be heard. Sonic broke his gaze and looked back. Tails was flying overhead, scanning the Ruins. ****_Damn him. I told him to rest…_******

**" Sonic!" Tails smiled as he noted the fact that Shadow was with his friend. " You found Shadow too!"**

**            " I thought I told you to wait at the workshop." **

**            The smile faded. **

**            " I wanted to help." **

**            " I know, but you shouldn't be flying around with that bump on your head. Land."**

**            He complied to the hedgehog's wishes and landed carefully on the ground, crushing the grass blades under his red and white shoes. His tails shifted as he stood there, eyeing the older males. Shadow hadn't said anything to them. His eyes were fixated on the water, watching it tumble and swirl. He blinked and saw something else. **

***** **

**            The force of the impact had knocked the wind out of him. His body sunk, then floated around within the coldness that surrounded him. The sound rang in his ears as he felt himself being jolted around. Uncontrollable forces pulled him along, moving him upwards. He fought as best he could, but was swept away. Breathing was not an option. His lungs burned as they cried for sustenance. A popping noise filled his ears as he broke the surface, hearing louder sounds now as the force propelled him. He gasped, choking on the liquid as it filled his mouth. Spitting and hacking, he managed to get some of it out, only for it to be filled as he was slapped downward. Another current took him, tossing him downward in a swirling motion. He screamed in torment, air releasing from his mouth. The bubbles danced in front of him, taunting. He couldn't breathe. Lungs aching, he tried to fight the current as it drove him into the depths. His arms weren't strong enough and he felt his body go limp with fatigue. The force pulled him downward, then began to slowly lift him up again. He was amazed that he was barely conscious, let alone alive at the fact that he couldn't breathe. Tossed into the air again, he gasped loudly, then braced for impact. The collision stung, biting at every inch of flesh. Another swirl of energy lifted him up again, and drove his body smack into a rock.   
***  **

**            Shadow hadn't even realized that he was clutching his head. Sonic shook him, screaming into his ear. **

**            " Shadow!! Snap out of it! Wake up!!" **

**            Red eyes blinked and he uttered a small groan. Two pairs of eyes stared at him intensely. The jet black hedgehog moved his hands from his temples and blinked at them. **

**            " What happened? You cried out sharply. Are you alright?" Sonic asked, his hands still sitting on Shadow's shoulders. **

**            " I'm... not sure..." He rubbed his head for a moment. _Could that have been a memory...? _**

**            Sonic's green eyes pierced into him, searching. He felt Shadow move a little and dropped his hands from the black hedgehog's shoulders. Tails said nothing, but watched them carefully. Shaking his head a little, Shadow blinked.**

**            " It passed. I'm fine."**

**            " Come on. Let's get you back to the workshop and get some food in you." **

**            Tails smiled at the idea and ran off, heading back for the hill. Shadow didn't even motion to go back. **

**            " Are you sure that you're alright?" **

**            A sharp nod and Shadow stepped forward. Sonic watched him for a moment and slowly followed him, mentally cursing the rocks that stung his bare feet. Shadow, on the other hand, had been trying to make sense of what he saw. _Was that a memory of what happened to me after falling from ARK? He touched his head, rubbing his temple with two fingers. The crimson stripped hedgehog had no idea what had happened after his descent. Most of his memory was patchy and the fragments were scattered around like puzzle pieces ready for assembly. __Perhaps I will remember more in time... Sonic had matched his pace, falling as silent as death. Neither hedgehog spoke as they mounted the stairs and headed for the workshop._**

Legal Stuffies: Sonic, Shadow and crew are © SEGA!

Still likies? Should I keep going? :D 


	6. Part 6

I'm back! Sorry for the delay. I was trying to get to a specific point to leave off on. :D Enjoy! And of course, tell me what you think! ^_^ 

**            Rouge was drilling answers out of Tails as the two hedgehogs entered the shop. She dropped the kitsune onto the steel floor and turned toward them, folding her arms and glaring. Shadow knew that look. He had gotten it right before he received her heel in the back of his head. At least this time he knew not to turn around. **

**            " What were you thinking?!"**

**            Shadow said nothing and let her fume. **

**            " You scared us half to death!! What if you weren't strong enough to be walking and passed out?! We wouldn't have known where you were!"**

**            " I wanted fresh air. I'm fine. I didn't overdo it." **

**            Her fist tightened and relaxed a little. **

**            " Just...be more careful..." She murmured at him. **

**            Another nod. She blinked and then turned away. **

**            " If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room." And off she went, her robe swaying as she walked. **

**            Tails got up off the floor and smiled. **

**            " How about some breakfast?" **

**            Sonic and Shadow stared at him, their stomachs growling at the same time. Tails laughed. **

**            " I'll take that as a yes."**

**            The small light brown turned and headed for the kitchen. Shadow waited for Sonic to follow suit before he proceeded on after the two of them. Tails had already begun to fry some eggs up in the small skillet, whereas Sonic made himself comfortable at the table, propping his bare feet on one of the chairs. Shadow stood in the doorway and glanced around. **

**            " You can sit down, Shadow." Tails said, throwing another smile at him. " I mean, this is your house as well as everyone else's right now, so feel free to do what you want." **

**            He blinked at the fox, then walked forward and sat down. Quickly looking up, his red eyes spotted the apple flying at his head and he caught it in one swipe. Sonic grinned. **

**            " Your reflexes are even better. Seems like you're recovering quickly." He took a bite of his apple. " Go ahead, eat it." The azure hedgehog said with his mouth full. **

**            Shadow gingerly took a bite. The sweet taste of the apple caused him to blink. Apparently his taste buds actually wanted to work today. But then again, this had more of a taste than the food from the bread group that he had been fed for so many days. He continued to eat the apple until the core was the only thing left. It was soon sailing through the air and into the wastebasket near the door. Tails had finished making breakfast at that time and handed both hedgehogs a plate full of food. Sonic inhaled it. Tails made a face. **

**            " Why don't you just eat the plate too, Sonic?"**

**            " Nah. They don't taste good." A grin emitted from the blue hedgehog.**

**            Taking his time, Shadow ate everything on his plate, as Sonic was mentally going insane at his pace. He was drumming his fingers on the table.**

**            " Could you eat any slower…?" **

**            Shadow took a mental note of this and began to chew each bite 48 times before swallowing. Sonic scowled and pointed a finger at him. **

**            " You're SO doing that on purpose!!!!"**

**            " Sonic, sit down and leave Shadow alone! Or get outta the kitchen." Tails said, hovering above the table. **

**            " Yeah but---"**

**            The kitsune gave him a look. Growling, Sonic got up and left the kitchen, grumbling something about how unfair it was to be the older one getting yelled at. Tails sighed and floated down, taking Sonic's seat at the table. He took an apple from the basket. **

**            " You are not eating?" Shadow asked after another swallow. **

**            " Oh, I ate earlier. Before I found you gone." **

**            " I got up pretty early...what time did you get up?"**

**            " A few hours after dawn."  
            " What for?"**

**            " There was a piece of equipment that I wanted to work on. I barely slept last night since I kept thinking about how I was to fix it." **

**            " I didn't see you when I left." **

**            " I was probably in here when  you departed to explore."**

**            Shadow nodded and finished off his eggs as Tails continued to eat the apple. **

**            " I..." The ebony hedgehog paused and then swallowed again. " I would like to apologize."**

**            " For what?" Tails took another bite of the apple. **

**            He pointed at the bandage around Tails' head. **

**            " Oh!" The kitsune gave him a smile. " Don't worry about it. Miss Rouge said that you had no control over what you were doing, so it was just an accident."**

**            " Still, I would like to apologize. I'm sorry for what happened."**

**            " Apology accepted. Just get better soon. Everyone was pretty worried about you. Especially Sonic." The small fox got up. " Anyway, when you're finished, just put your plate in the sink. I have some work to do but if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." And he promptly walked off toward the main workshop area. **

**            Scarlet eyes watched him depart and then turned back to the breakfast before him. He finished it off properly, and then got up, looking for the sink. Once he had found it and deposed of the dirty plate, Shadow sat down at the table for a moment to ponder about the information that he had received from Tails. _Why would Sonic be so worried about me? I mean, I survived the fall from ARK...somehow. He touched his head with one white gloved hand. __I wish I could remember what happened to me. There are bits and pieces, but the puzzle has not been completed. Perhaps with time, though, everything will become clear. He got up and walked out of the kitchen. __Still...why would he fret over what happened to me? _**

**            Still pondering over the idea, Shadow walked past the door to the computer room. He paused after he had passed it, then turned his head to look at the wooden entrance. It was one of the only rooms in the whole house that he hadn't explored yet, and the temptation of looking in was getting the better of him. Testing the doorknob with his left hand, the hedgehog found that the room was not locked. Slowly, he opened it and glanced inside, eyes flittering around inside. There was no one inside the dimly lit room. Reaching into it, his hand felt at the wall, looking for a possible light switch. Once he found it, he turned it on and then slipped inside. **

**            It was a rather large computer, obviously fused with a huge database. Looking over the huge console, Shadow remembered the computers that Robotnik had toyed with in his base, and the one on ARK that had controlled the Eclipse Cannon. The monitor was glowing softly. He peered up at the results that were on the screen. It was basically computer code, jumbled up and unreadable. A small counter was at the top of the screen, randomly running through different variations of the code. Shadow contemplated the code for a moment, but refrained from touching anything, for fear of losing the whole project. _Rouge is up to something. Looks like she's trying to get information from a protected database, but for what purpose? The counter stopped. _**

**            " Huh?" Shadow looked up at it, waiting. **

**            Another window popped up to show the percent completion of the transaction. It moved slowly, but the bar began to fill. He stared at it, intently. **

**            " What's this file doing?"**

**            " It's masking my hacking so the officials don't notice." A feminine voice said. **

**            Shadow jumped and swung his head around to see the infamous bat girl standing in the doorway. Rouge was dressed in her normal attire, and this time, had her makeup on. Apparently she had gotten done with her beauty session and had returned for her work on the computer. Shadow didn't say anything, keeping his hands at his sides. **

**            " You didn't touch anything, did you?"**

**            He shook his head. **

**            " Good." **

**            She brushed past him and touched a few keys. Two more windows popped up. Green eyes darted across the screen rapidly, and then fell back to the keyboard. The windows were minimized and went back into hiding, just as the status bar filled to one hundred percent. Shortly after the status bar disappeared, the counter started up again and continued through all the codes. Rouge sighed a little, and folded her arms across her breasts, turning toward Shadow.**

**            " You're probably wondering what I'm up to, correct?"**

**            He nodded. She smirked, flashing her fangs. **

**            " I'm trying to break into the GUN Labs Database."**

**            " What for?"**

**            She blinked at him. **

**            " Shadow, you were captured and they did horrible things to you. Don't you want to know why they wanted to hurt you?"**

            The dark hedgehog shivered a little. The thought had crossed his mind. Why him? Why was he being tormented? But another part of him didn't want to know. There were too many factors to consider, and frankly, his mind couldn't handle wondering about it constantly. He rubbed his temple again and finally answered her. 

**            " I suppose...but, I don't know for sure."**

**            Rouge stared at him. **

**            " What do you mean?"**

**            " A part of me does want to know. Another doesn't." **

**            " Ah, I see." She turned back toward the monitor. " Well, even if you don't want to. We do." **

**            " We?"**

**            " Sonic, Tails...Knuckles," She paused, hanging on the guardian's name for a moment. " And me. We want to know why they did those awful things to you. You didn't deserve that."**

**            " And what if I did?"**

**            Her green eyes narrowed. **

**            " What are you saying?"**

**            " I almost helped destroy the world. Perhaps that was my punishment for what I have done since I was revived..."**

**            She turned around and slapped him as hard as she could. Shadow hadn't even prepared himself for that, and toppled over. Rouge grabbed his shoulders before he went down and shook him. **

**            " Don't you dare say that! Nobody deserves to be abused the way that those Lab officials did to you! No matter how many things that they've done!"**

**            Shadow stared at her once the shaking had stopped. Rouge's eyes were aflame. She was extremely pissed off at what he had said. **

**            " You made mistakes, Shadow. Everyone does. But you also repented those mistakes by helping save the world. Did that mean nothing to you?"**

**            He looked down, trying to remember. She waited, and felt her face soften. **

**            " Better question, can you remember what you've done for the Earth?"**

**            His eyes closed and remained closed as he attempted again. Only bits and pieces came to him. **

**            " I can only remember a little..." **

**            Rouge frowned. **

**            " I wonder if that's one of the effects from the drugs that those GUN bastards pumped into you." **

**            " Amnesia?" **

**            " You seem to have a form of it. Seems like a small form though. You can remember things from the past and when we worked for Robotnik, correct?"**

**            He nodded. **

            " Looks like just some of your present state of mind is missing. I'm sure it will come back with time." She looked at the screen again and then back at him. " Just take it easy and it will come back soon."

**            Shadow nodded again and looked away. Everything was a jumble in his mind, trying to process every bit of information that he had gained from Sonic, Tails, and Rouge. His shattered memories made it more confusing, almost maddening. He rubbed his temple and turned toward the door. **

**            " Shadow, are you alright?"**

**            " Yes. I think I need to lie down for a little while though." **

**            " You look a little pale." He felt her hand grip his elbow. " Here. Let me help you to your room." **

**            " I can walk on my own." **

**            " I don't doubt that, but I'm going to follow you anyway."**

**            Shadow walked back toward his room, with Rouge at his side. He wanted to take a nap really badly right now. The female bat watched his every move, waiting for any stumbles or dizzy spells. He didn't have any while walking, so she relaxed as she helped him into bed. **

**            " Do you want me to get you anything?"**

**            " No. I think I just need to sleep a little while." Shadow kicked off his shoes, letting them tumble off the bed and onto the floor.   
            " Alright. I won't have Tails wake you for dinner if you're still asleep. You need your rest."**

**            " Okay..." His eyes were already half lidded. **

**            Rouge gave his hand a little squeeze and then walked out of the room. He watched her leave and then rolled over, pressing his head down onto the pillow as far as he could. Pulling his knees upwards, Shadow curled into a fetal position, and fell asleep almost instantaneously. **

***** **

**            It was bright and blinding. And it was heading right for them. The scorching heat was starting to get to him but he ignored the pain. There was no turning back now. They had to stop it. **

**            " Shadow!!" **

**            He didn't move. It was terrifying. _I...can't do it..._**

**            " SHADOW!!!!" The voice was more urgent now. **

**            _I can't do it!!_**

***** **

**            Shadow bolted upright, tossing the blanket from him. He was panting slightly, covered in sweat. ****_A dream. It was just a dream…_**** He held his head in his hands, covering his face with black hands. ****_What the hell was that? _****His hands fell away and his eyes scanned the unlit room. ****_I wonder what time it is…_**** He got up and found his shoes, after promptly striking his toes on the end of the bedpost. A curse and two shoes later, Shadow was exploring the workshop for any signs of the others. A plane was missing from the main shop area, so Tails was off somewhere. He heard voices coming from the computer room and quietly headed for the half opened door.**

**            " How much longer, Rouge?"**

**            " Sonic, you just asked me that thirty seconds ago."**

**            " Yeah, well, how much longer?"**

**            Rouge growled something under her breath. Shadow could hear her counter still running through code after code, trying to find the right one. He listened carefully, trying to make out everything that was said. **

**            " I just want to know an approximate timeframe." **

**            " Stop tapping your foot. I told you, I don't know when my program will hack into the mainframe. You're going to have to be patient."**

**            " I can't wait any longer! Maybe I should bust into GUN Labs and find the chart myself…"**

**            " Sonic, they already know to look out for you as it is since you broke Shadow out of there. Going back would be suicide. And you have no idea what they would do with you if they caught you."**

**            " Who said they're going to catch me?"**

**            " God damn it, Sonic, wise up. If they don't catch you, they'll probably kill you. And I am not explaining to Tails that you went off on some whim to gather information and got yourself killed because of it."**

**            Sonic must have been fuming because Shadow didn't hear him come up with some sort of retort. He glanced back toward the front door when he heard the sound of a plane overhead. ****_Tails must have returned from wherever he went. I don't have much time before the kitsune comes back inside…_****Rouge and Sonic either didn't notice or didn't care that the airplane was touching down on the runway, for they continued to argue. **

**            " But we've got to find out why they did those things to Shadow!" **

**            " Sonic, I want to know the answer to that question as much as you do, but being arrogant isn't going to get us the information that we're looking for!"**

**            " But I could—"**

**            " No!!" **

**            Shadow was more intent on listening to Sonic and Rouge argue than he was looking out for Tails. So when the hand clamped down on his shoulder, Shadow nearly hit the ceiling. **

**            " GAH!!!!!!" **

**            " What the?" **

**            The door flung open. Sonic and Rouge peered out into the hallway, where Shadow was clutching his chest, gasping for air. **

**            " Remind me not to sneak up on him again." A deeper masculine voice stated. **

**            Rogue practically shoved Sonic out of her way. **

**            " Knuckles?" **

**            The tall guardian removed his gloved mitt from Shadow's shoulder and smiled, removing his sunglasses. **

**            " What are you doing here, Red?" Sonic asked, looking a little puzzled. **

**            " I saw the twerp scouting about when I was doing my rounds and decided to hitch a ride back with him to see what was up on the home front." **

**            Tails was hovering over them with his normal beam plastered across his face. **

**            " Seems like Shadow's feeling well enough to be sneaking around, eh?" Knuckles said, grinning.**

**            Shadow frowned a little. **

**            " I wasn't sneaking around…" He said, half lying.**

**            " Uh huh…He reminds me of you, Rouge."**

**            " Why you! Oooh!" She fumed at the tall echidna. **

**            Sonic and Tails laughed. Shadow felt a smile appear on his own face as Rouge turned redder than Knuckles' dread color. A soft beeping noise sounded from the room next to them. **

**            " What was that?" Sonic asked, looking toward the room again.**

**            The female treasure hunter turned toward him, then her eyes widened. She threw him aside and ran into the room. A few little victory noises were heard as Knuckles helped Sonic up off the floor.   
            " What's with her?" He asked. **

**            " Her program must have gotten through!" Tails said, still hovering above them. **

**            " You mean she got into the GUN Lab Database?"**

**            " Apparently! Now we can find out why they wanted to capture Shadow!" **

**            Shadow blinked and stepped into the computer room. Rouge had already begun her search through the database, looking for any files that she could find. Sonic and Knuckles entered the room one after the other, then Tails appeared and continued to fly over them to conserve space. A few windows appeared on screen, searching for anything that pertained to Shadow the Hedgehog. Rouge growled when some of the older results appeared. She read out loud for the others to hear. **

**" Shadow the Hedgehog…encapsulated in frozen stasis on Prison Island…set free by Dr. Robotnik and an accomplice with the ARK incidents…Guilty of theft one Chaos Emerald, along with helping in the assistance of stealing the others from Prison Island…." She muttered something about how they already knew that and then continued. " Also an accomplice with the Eclipse Cannon catastrophe... Satellites spotted the culprit assisting Sonic the Hedgehog with stopping the space colony ARK from falling... Whereabouts unknown of this time..."**

**            " Wait a second, what does that mean?" Sonic asked, still puzzled. " I mean, they did recapture Shadow so why wouldn't the records show---"**

**            " Hang on, Sonic." Rouge said, tinkering with the keyboard again. " There has to be another report or something in this database."**

**            The files were scanned again as she searched for any sign of a report on the last encounter that Shadow had with GUN. She kept getting the same files as before. **

**            " Damnit!" **

**            " Perhaps they haven't filed a report yet." Knuckles said, folding his arms. **

**            " There has to be one. GUN is picky about these sorts of things." **

**            " Maybe it wasn't completed." **

**            She scowled and moved the files over to see if the results of the search had given her another project. There were some new files, but they only pertained to a few sightings by GUN officials before the ARK incidents. **

**            " One more time..." She growled, redoing the search with a few different keywords. **

**            The search bar ran and filled as it gathered the files. Shadow had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, letting Rouge do her hacking without adding any more stress. **

**            " Wait. There!" Sonic pointed at the screen. " That file's date is the most recent that we've seen." **

**            Rouge opened up the file and waited as it processed.**

**            File 78593 **

            Subject Shadow the Hedgehog

            Subject was seen wandering the shorelines of the coast, near the projected landing area where ARK was to fall. Witnesses reported that the subject seemed disoriented and fatigued, possibly injured. Current whereabouts at this time are unknown. Agent Keller and Agent Ruiken will be dispatched in order to continue the investigation. See File 79863 

            **" Well, they were looking for you...but for what purpose?" Rouge said, glancing over at Shadow. **

**            He shrugged and motioned for her to continue with the next file. **

**            File 79863**

            Subject Shadow the Hedgehog

            Agent Keller and Ruiken reported seeing the subject two towns over from the last eyewitness report. Currently, subject has not been found within the city. A statement by one of the locals reported that she had seen the subject attacked by two men, but was not able to get the police in time before they made off with him. Both agents have been notified with an anonymous tip about possible whereabouts of the subject. Orders are to bring the subject back intact and unhurt. See File 81253 

            " You were jumped by some goons?" Sonic asked. 

**            Shadow thought about it and remembered the cruel treatment that he had received. Being smacked over the head with a pipe, chained up, and even gagged with some dirty cloth, hadn't been a fun experience for him. **

**            " What did they do to you?"**

**            " Basically kidnapped me." He stated bluntly.**

**            " Do I want to know what happened?"**

**            " Probably don't." **

**            Sonic made a face. Rouge was looking up the next file to hopefully get more information that GUN was keeping from the public. **

**            " Here it is."**

**            File 81253**

            Subject Shadow the Hedgehog

            Subject has been located. Captors of the subject had plotted to dispose of him. Agent Keller disposed of them herself. No longer poses threat. Subject was found with only one injury, a blow to the back of the head, but otherwise, alive and intact. Agent Keller found the subject bound by heavy chain and electrical tape, so she had no problems with trying to capture him again. Subject was subdued via chloroform and transported to GUN Labs for experimentation. See CC Project

            " Experimentation?" Sonic shuddered a little to himself. 

**            " They…killed those people?" Tails asked quietly. **

**            " Well, it did help Shadow in that part…" **

**            Shadow quivered a little, remembering seeing that man die right in front of him. Rouge frowned a little. **

**            " It says here that they wanted to experiment on you…"**

**            The black hedgehog cringed as he remembered his torment. Sonic was looking a little green around the gills himself, also thinking about how he had seen Shadow in the stasis tube. **

**            " What do you suppose the 'CC Project' is?" Tails asked. **

**            " I'm not sure. I've never even heard of anything like this from GUN before…" Rouge moved the mouse and tried to open the project file. A screen appeared with a warning symbol on it. " Damn it!"**

**            " What is it?" Knuckles leaned over her a little to look at the screen. **

**            " It's encrypted…I can't access it."**

**            " And that file has the answers to our questions?" Sonic asked. **

**            " Most likely. This has to be big, or why would it be encrypted?" **

**            " Can you break it?" **

**            " I can try another program that could most likely gain me access, but it will take time…" **

**            " Then I guess we have to wait…" Sonic sighed. **

**            Shadow had remained silent, trying to take in all of this new information. He sighed and then looked up at Tails, who was eying his bandages. **

**            " Well, I suppose since we have to wait, I can check Shadow's injuries. I'm sure they're prolly much better now!" He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. **

**            " Right. It's been about a day since we changed those, so go ahead Tails." Sonic told him. **

**            Tails hovered over Shadow, smiling as best he could. The ebony hedgehog looked up at him and nodded, heading out the door. The small kitsune landed and followed him out into the hallway. **

**            " The kitchen is probably the best place to check your wounds." He said, gently pushing him toward it. **

**            Shadow complied and walked into the kitchen and sat down at the dinner table. Tails was fiddling with a cupboard, trying to get the First Aid Kit out from it. He nearly dropped it, but managed to recover it before its contents ended up on the floor. The small fox walked over to the table and set it down. **

**            " Want me to undress the bandages?"**

**            " I can do it." Shadow said, unraveling one of them. **

**            The small fox nodded and waited until he unwrapped his arm. The wounds and indentations had begun to scar over, already regenerating some of the black and red fur that had been removed. **

**            " Wow, they're healing over really well."**

**            " Must be that stuff that Rouge keeps pumping in me…" He grumbled, thinking about all the shots. **

**            " Soon we won't have to keep bandaging your body up anymore."  **

**            He nodded and watched as Tails started to cover his scars with new dry cloth. The two repeated this action for each limb, and finally stopped with the dressing on Shadow's chest. **

**            " There. All better now." **

**            " Thanks Tails." **

**            " You're welcome." He smiled. **

**            " Well, what are you going to do now?"**

**            " What do you mean?"**

**            " You look wide awake. From that nap, I'm sure you don't need to rest again."**

**            " Oh." Shadow smirked. " I suppose I could go explore some more…"  
            " Rouge might not like that."**

**            " Who said Rouge would have to know? She's got to work on breaking that encrypted file…"**

**            " You sound like Sonic…"**

**            Shadow eyed him and smirked again.   
            " Another similarity between the two of us, I guess." He got to his feet. " But I would like to see this world a little more." **

**            " You can always do that later…" Tails said, frowning slightly. **

**            " Or he could do it now." Sonic's voice added to the conversation. **

**            The sapphire colored hedgehog was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning up against the doorframe with his arms folded. His expression was unreadable. **

**            " Sonic, you know Rouge will go nuts if Shadow leaves by himself again---"**

**            " Who said he'd be by himself?" **

**            Tails blinked at him. **

**            " What are you talking about?"**

**            Shadow stood up and looked over at Sonic. Both hedgehogs' faces were illegible as they stared at each other. Emerald burning into crimson and vice versa. Tail's blue eyes shifted back and forth between the two, confused. Shadow broke eye contact for a moment. **

**            " You're not going to let me out of this house if I don't let you come with me, is that it?"**

**            " Basically." Sonic said. **

**            The black and red hedgehog sighed a little to himself. **

**            " I lack the strength to even try and fight you off right now, so it looks like I have no choice but to corporate with you. After all, you could probably tell me more about the things around here than I would learn just going off by myself."**

**            The famous grin appeared on Sonic's face as he gained another victory. Tails waved his arms at the two of them.**

**            " Hang on, what about Rouge? I'm not going to get thwacked around for you two again…"**

**            " Don't worry about it, Tails. The two lov—er…" He snickered. " The two treasure hunters are hitting it off in the computer room…"**

**            Loud arguing could be heard from the closed door down the hall. Tails made a face. **

**            " Are you sure they aren't trying to kill each other?" **

**            " Nah." Sonic smirked again, looking down the hallway. " I'll bet in about fifteen minutes, they'll probably be all over each other after we leave."**

**            The small kitsune made another face. **

**            " Sonic!"**

**            " What?! You know they like each other." He grinned. " Right, Shadow?"**

**            " Um, I'm not discussing that." The black hedgehog blinked at Sonic. ****_I like living, thank you. _******

**            " Heh, well, you want to check things out. Let's move."**

**            Shadow nodded and followed Sonic out the doorway. **

**            " Hey! What am I supposed to tell Rouge whenever she realizes that you guys are gone?!" Tails cried, flying after them. **

**            Sonic was already halfway out the front door, with Shadow at his heels. **

**            " Just tell her the truth. I'm taking Shadow out to have a look at town. Maybe Knuckles can show him the ruins tomorrow. And if you have problems with her, just shove her into Knuckles' arms, then fly like hell. It's funny to see them both flush up… but you gotta be fast or your ass is dead meat. Anyway! Let's roll!" And out he went. **

**            " But Sonic---argh… oh alright….just be careful…" **

**            Shadow gave Tails a reassuring look and then followed Sonic out and into Mystic Ruins. The sun was making its final descent toward the horizon, ready to dip into the ocean when the time came. The mysterious hedgehog stared at the orb for a moment, and then turned toward Sonic, who was tapping his foot a little. **

**            " Well, ready to have a look about? I can take you to Station Square if you want."**

**            " Station Square?"**

**            " Yeah, it's a nice town. Some of the people are a little high strung when you're weaving in between vehicles, but they drive to slow…" Sonic looked up at him. " Did you want to go there? We only have so much time before the train shuts down for the night, and you're in no condition to run the tracks." **

**            " I would like to see the city…" His excursion into the city hadn't been exactly for fun the last time he entered its limits. **

**            Sonic nodded. **

**            " Alright then. C'mon. We'll have to get to the station over there." He pointed to the wooden structure a short distance away. " Then it's just a short ride to the city by train. Maybe we can pick something up to eat there as well." Another grin. **

**            The two hedgehogs walked down the stairs that led up the hill. Shadow could tell that simply walking slowly was driving Sonic insane, but he was hiding it as best as he could. He did appreciate the gesture though. It made him feel less like a burden. Soon they were mounting the wooden stairs to the train station. Sonic haggled around with the attendant, trying to get Shadow the same deal that he got with being a hero: Free passes. After a few moments of bargaining, Sonic was shoving Shadow into the train, telling him to find some comfy spot to sit. They sat in silence as the train rumbled underneath them, coming to life. It started down the tracks, slowly picking up speed and disappeared into the mountain. **

Legal Stuffies!!!!! Sonic, Shadow and Crew are all copyright of SEGA!   
Shall I continue with this? 


	7. Part 7

WHEW! Finally… I know I haven't been able to update this but there's been so much to do in my life right about now and blah blah blah… :P School comes first you know. Gotta graduate high school with them honors you know. :D Anyway! This part should keep you guys satisfied for now! And I'm on my Spring Break now so I'll have more time to write this… hopefull. @_@  Enjoy!   

**            He practically had his face plastered to the train window. Sonic chuckled quietly as Shadow observed the city as the train exited from the mountain tracks and had made it to the final overpass before it would stop in the station. The overpass itself was over more of the business district of the city, but the Casino's lights could be seen from it. Shadow seemed fascinated with the bright sign that blinked every two seconds. He watched as people walked the streets, holding briefcases and shopping bags. His gaze down at them didn't lash very long, for the train disappeared into the station. Blinking, the hedgehog sat back down and waited for the train to come to a halt. Once it did, the doors opened and the few people left on it began to depart from it. Sonic and Shadow glanced at each other for a moment and then waited for the people to get off of the train before they did. The train attendants nodded at Sonic as he stepped out onto the marble floor of the station. He flashed a row of white teeth and then looked back at Shadow, who was lingering in the train doors. **

**            " You coming?" **

**            Shadow nodded and then followed him down the splitting staircase. Not many of the travelers on the train had straggled behind in the station, most likely returning to their homes or businesses to close up shop, so the two of them had no problems with anyone questioning them. Not that Sonic was really questioned whenever he came into town. Hero status gives a person pretty much free reign of anything that he or she wanted. At least Sonic was never too egotistical about it, although he did use it to his full advantage if need be. He wondered though, how the city's inhabitants would react to Shadow's appearance in their city. ****_Hmm. It shouldn't be a big problem. We can always go back to Mystic Ruins if any trouble starts. _****He pushed the doors open and proceeded out onto the steps. His ebony companion joined him shortly, craning his neck around as he observed everything.**

**            Bright lights flickered and flashed from buildings, spelling out letters and business names for any passerby to see. Twinkle Park's sign was illuminated as vivid as it normally was, trying to attract anyone who would go into the amusement park. Cars moved by here and there, obeying the traffic lights and letting pedestrians go by. Sonic tapped on the bottom of Shadow's jaw. **

**            " You know, that works better if it's up." **

**            The black hedgehog made a face and closed his mouth. Sonic smirked. **

**            " If you think that's good, wait until I show you the rest of it." **

**            " There's more?" He glanced over at his tour guide. " I thought you said that this place was small."**

**            " It is. But there's a lot to see. I suggest a quick runabout around the city before we do anything." He smiled. **

**            Shadow thought about it for a moment and then nodded. Emerald eyes blinked once and then glanced over to the left. **

**            " Alright then. Follow me."**

***** **

**            Most of the city consisted of many different business, so it really wasn't necessary to explain them to Shadow as they explored. Sonic watched Shadow carefully, eying him as they walked up and down the streets of Station Square. It was like watching a child. Full of wonder and amazement. Taking in everything like a sponge. He smiled as they rounded a corner and headed back toward their starting place. **

**            " Getting a feel of the city?"**

**            " I know we didn't really go in anywhere, but yes, I am." **

**            Sonic looked at his watch. There was still plenty of time. **

**            " So then, a little fun is in order, eh?" His grin had returned. **

**            Shadow's red eyes flickered up at him, questioning. **

**            " Are you sure that---"**

**            " What? You've been keeping up with me fine when we were running around. After all, you are getting better and healing. And we have tons of time left before we have to be back on the train." The grin was still there. " I mean, come on, I gotta show you something more than a simple stroll around the city." **

**For Shadow, the stroll had been enough to satisfy his craving for knowledge of the city, for now at least. There was much that he needed to see though. Experience would make him be able to understand the world a little bit better, and hopefully show him the things that Maria had told him about back on ARK so many years ago. Sonic waited, watching Shadow as he stood there, eyes closed. The azure hedgehog knew that there was a lot of information for Shadow to take in, but he wanted to show him everything. And as fast as possible. **

**            " Alright, Sonic. I suppose I shall take you up on your offer." **

**            The grin returned as it plastered itself across Sonic's face. **

**            " Twinkle Park is a good place to have some fun. The amusement park is always nice, and we can get a bite to eat if we want." **

**            Shadow agreed and they walked on, passing pedestrians. Twinkle Park was just up ahead and to their left, where another attendant stood, waiting. Sonic remembered seeing the same man there before whenever he visited the amusement park, especially since it was he who had basically told Amy Rose to haul him into the place on a "date". He wasn't judgmental of the attendant. It was more like a simple annoyance that he pushed down to remain civil after he had been embarrassed in front of the civilians. Shadow noticed the apprehensive look on his companion's face, but did not ask anything of him as they walked up to the park's door. **

**            " Ah, Mr. Sonic. How nice of you to return." The man said. **

**            " Two passes please." **

**            " Oh, but you have free entrance of the park, Mr. Sonic." The attendant glanced over at Shadow, holding back a reaction it seemed. **

**            " Then I need one pass anyway."**

**            " Um, yes sir."**

**            The attendant quickly handed over the ticket as Sonic placed the money in his hand. He made a motion to Shadow to go ahead inside, since it was apparent that the attendant wanted to talk to him. The black hedgehog took the ticket from Sonic, thanked both of them, and went inside the doors, taking the elevator to the skywalk that led into the park. Sonic was tapping his foot. **

**            " Is there something I can do for you, sir?"**

**            " Maybe I should ask you that." Sonic said.**

**            The man looked a little uneasy. **

**            " Is there a problem that I happen to be showing my friend around Station Square? I can take my business elsewhere you know." **

**            " No sir. It's just that---" The man looked at the skywalk where Shadow was waiting. **

**            The once GUN captive was leaning against the glass of the skywalk, his back toward them. He appeared to be reading the ticket in his hand, trying not to look out of place as people walked down the passageway. Shadow hadn't been watching Sonic's conversation with the man, either out of respect, or lack of interest. Sonic glanced up at Shadow, then back at the man. He sighed, did not say anything else to the attendant, and promptly took the elevator up to the skywalk. **

**            " Sorry to keep you waiting." He said as he met up with his black lookalike. **

**            " Anything the matter?" Shadow's calm voice seemed uninterested for the moment, for what reason though, Sonic couldn't tell by the tone. **

**            " Naw. He just wanted to ask why I wasn't taking Amy here again…" Sonic made a face. " That was a hellish experience in its own part…" **

**            Shadow's red eyes matched up with his green ones. Now he seemed to be interested. But, once again, Sonic did not know why. Perhaps it was Shadow's way of respecting his privacy for not really asking what the attendant had wanted. Or maybe he was pondering his own thoughts and didn't pay attention. He did not ask about Amy Rose though, or about Sonic's experience with her in Twinkle Park. That was up for Sonic to decide if he wanted to tell him. **

**            " Do you want to hear about it?" Sonic asked, thinking about how the train of events had led toward most of the city being flooded and destroyed in the end. **

**            " Perhaps later. You don't seem too pleased to be reminded of it."**

**            Sonic nodded slightly. It had been hell trying to track down Amy when that robot had appeared in the park, destroying anything in its path. He hadn't been able to stop the robot that time, and lost Amy in the process. Tromping around the park looking for either of them had not been a fun time for the blue hero, especially since both the robot and Amy had a head start since he had been thrown into a concession stand when he had tried to protect the girl. As much as he hated Amy's annoyances, Sonic didn't want anything to happen to her, and he cursed himself for being that stupid as to practically get knocked out by some tin bucket. At least Amy was fine now, so he didn't have to worry about it anymore. The smile reappeared on Sonic's face as he blatantly forgot about the situation and the incident with the attendant two minutes ago.**

**            " Well then, let's get going. There's a ton of rides we can hit before grabbing something to eat." He said, heading down the hallway to the main hall of the park. **

**            Shadow followed him, asking him what kinds of things were in this amusement park. He was answered by a flood of descriptions, including one about the Twinkle Circuit, which had another door that led to the racetrack. **

**            " Maybe we'll have a little competition before we have to go…" **

**            " Oh, so since I can't run very well, you want to try and beat me on some go-cart track?" The smug look on Shadow's face returned. **

**            " Maybe…." Sonic stressed the syllables, rubbing the back of his head and grinning. **

**            " You're on." Shadow said, rushing into the Twinkle Circuit doors. **

**            " Hey! Why you---"**

**            Shadow had already made it to the Twinkle Circuit check in station and had presented his pass to them. He was busy trying to pick a go-cart as Sonic rushed the station. He waved at one attendant and quickly hopped the wall to the track. Shadow noticed him and decided on one of the black go-carts, realizing that they weren't like normal go-carts. Each cart had a ring of rubber around them, much like that of bumper cars, and lacked wheels. He didn't question it though, for Sonic had mentioned that they were hovering vehicles, and strapped himself into the car. Sonic was fastened in as well, and glanced back at his rival. Shadow was busy looking over the instruments that ran the go-cart, testing the pedals and everything to make sure that they were operational. He did not notice Sonic's stare. Once a few more customers appeared and got ready, the attendant running the track started up the engines of all the cars. They flared with life, whirring and buzzing as they levitated off of the ground. Waiting, Shadow watched the number on the countdown screen carefully. He knew that Sonic was doing the same, since he didn't feel the emerald eyes burning at him intently. The attendant told them the rules quickly and started up the countdown for the amount of time left before the green lights on the screen appeared, signaling that the players could go. Three…two…one…The light flashed and the pedals were floored. Both hedgehogs hit the gas as soon as they could, flying out of the pits with a burst of speed. Sonic was in the lead, since his car had been before Shadow's, but the gap between them closed quickly. **

**            Shadow was determined to keep up with Sonic, who obviously had more knowledge about the course itself than he did. Sonic's turns were more graceful and tight, whereas Shadow had to go wide because he had not been predicting the turns. There was a lot to pay attention to: the road, the other cars, the wall, and of course, Sonic. Shadow had been trying to pay attention to everything, in hopes of getting a feel for the course and its various turns. After the first lap, Shadow basically had the track in his memory. Sonic was still ahead, grinning all the way, but once again the gap closed as Shadow made his move. To them, there were no other racers on the track. It was just the two of them. Two rival hedgehogs whose determination to win was battling for first. After cutting Sonic off with a sharp turn, Shadow managed to keep his place at Sonic's left side. **

**            " You got the hang of it pretty fast!" Sonic called over to him. **

**            Shadow gave him a smug look and nodded. Sonic's eyes narrowed slightly as his competitive smile returned. **

**            " That was just a warm up. Now that you have your circuit legs, the real fun can begin." **

**            Sonic's foot pushed down as hard as he could get it to on the gas. Shadow matched this as they flew down the straightaway, neck and neck. The second lap was completed as they passed over the checkered line, swiftly turning a sharp left and continuing on with the last lap. The two continued along, trying to cut off the other as they zoomed down the course. Sonic grinned as he managed to take the inside track, cutting Shadow off and putting a small distance between the two. Fuming, Shadow tried to take a hold of the lead again, but was only able to regain his place next to the azure hedgehog, only this time he was on the right. There were only a few more twisty turns before they would reach the last straightaway to the finish line. Shadow eyed his surroundings quickly, noting that there was another racer behind the two combatants, and made his move. He gripped the steering wheel and turned it sharply to the left, bringing his cart crashing into Sonic's. Sonic let out a yelp as his cart bounced away off of the rubber bumpers that lined their cars, glaring slightly as Shadow took the lead. He quickly turned the wheel of his own car to prevent him from losing his precious speed if he hit the wall. Soon he was gaining on Shadow's car, trying to regain his lead from the black hedgehog. Sonic caught up to Shadow quickly and they were once again side by side. **

**            " Cheater!" Sonic called over to him. **

**            " Bumping is allowed!" Shadow screamed back at him, a smug look on his face. **

**            The finish line was in sight. Both of them had the gas pedal to the floor of the carts, trying to gain a little bit of a lead against the opposite one. It wasn't until another driver came up behind them both and barreled through their line. The shock from her own car sent the two splitting up in a Y motion, slamming into the walls of the track. Shadow wrenched the wheel to the left so he wouldn't come to a complete stop against the wall. He had to finish no matter what. Sonic had managed to recover from the hit and sped over the finish line a few seconds after the other cart, with Shadow right behind him. **

**            As they slowed to a stop in the pits, both hedgehogs looked around to see who had beaten them. A small girl hopped out of the cart in front of them. She looked like she wasn't that much older than Tails. Sonic's look on his face was hilarious as he sputtered about her being able to beat him. Shadow smirked, but said nothing, heading for the exit of the track. The annoyed hedgehog quickly followed him as they walked down the hallway back to the doors that led out of Twinkle Circuit and to the main hall. Sonic looked at the sign above the entrance to Twinkle Park itself and glanced over at Shadow. **

**            " Well then, now that we tested out the track, shall we go in?" He gesticulated with his hand. **

**            Shadow paused, then nodded slightly. Sonic's grin returned and he disappeared into the doorway and into the park. **

***** **

**            Brilliant lights blinked and flickered from the park's attractions, trying to lure customers in like giant bug zappers. The roller coaster was constantly running, its cars were glowing like little rocket ships as they soared near the "sky", where many stars shone unsteadily at them. Shadow knew better. Anyone with eyes could see that they were just light bulbs on the ceiling, for the whole place was an indoor park, after all. He had also seen them up close and personal when Sonic made him ride the attraction. With all the running around and rides though, Shadow hadn't really been keeping his body up to check, and he tired quickly. Sonic didn't force him to go on though, and suggested that they get something to eat. His appetite had returned, craving energy, so the ebony hedgehog had agreed to it. The two of them found themselves in front of a vendors stand, ordering and then waiting for the cook to prepare it. Sonic rubbed his head and then looked over at his companion again, who was still observing everything. **

**            " How you holding up, Shadow?"**

**            " I'm fine." **

**            " Having fun?" **

**            He blinked and turned the crimson eyes back to Sonic, staring. Fun. It was something that hadn't happened in a long time. At least not to him. He pondered it for a moment, and then nodded. **

**            " Yes, I am having fun."**

**            " Good." Sonic said, tapping his foot, since the order that he placed two seconds ago hadn't been handed to him. **

**            Shadow was observing the people as they walked on. A small girl caught his eye though. She was staring right at him, clutching her newly won teddy bear to her. Shadow's eyebrow raised as he looked her over, realizing that she cringed when she noticed that he was looking at her. Puzzled, he retained his spot, watching her watch him. Her mother finally came over and took her arm, but she pointed at him. **

**            " Mommy, that's the bad man, isn't it?" **

**            The words tore through him as if he was a piece of paper being ripped to shreds by human hands. Her mother didn't correct her or agree with her as she dragged the girl away, shooting an odd look at Shadow as she did so. Sonic looked back at Shadow, realizing that he had a distressed look on his face.   
            " Shadow. What is it?"**

**            The black hedgehog said nothing. Sonic gripped his shoulder and squeezed. **

**            " Shadow."  
            A blink. **

**            " Oh. Sorry, Sonic." **

**            " What's wrong?" Sonic apparently hadn't caught the girl's comment. **

**            " It's nothing." Shadow said, glancing at their order as it was set down for pick-up. **

**            A questioning eye was on Shadow as Sonic picked up the food and walked over to a table for them to sit and eat. Shadow glared at him softly, basically telling him to back off. Sonic's look changed and he focused on his food for the time being. Shadow did the same as they ate in silence. Once they were done, the two hedgehogs threw away the wrappers and continued down the streets of Twinkle Park. Sonic noticed that Shadow seemed to be thinking about something, but for once, the azure hedgehog didn't pry. **

**            _Why does that girl's words bother me so? _Shadow couldn't make heads or tails of it. _I shouldn't care what one person thinks about me… I mean, I know I did horrible things to the city and… _He felt like his soul had been shredded in half a couple of times. _Why the hell does it torture me!? I shouldn't care! WHY DO I CARE?! _**

**            " Shadow." He felt a hand on his shoulder. **

**            Crimson eyes turned up to stare at the sparkling emeralds. Shadow glanced around to realize that the two of them were sitting on a hill in one of the city's parks. He hadn't remembered them sitting down. **

**            " What is it, Sonikku?" Shadow said, slipping into a dialect of Japanese. **

**            " Well…" Sonic scratched the back of his head a little bit. " I know your memory is rather fragmented and everything… but can you remember anything about the Final Hazard?" **

**            Shadow looked down, thinking. He could remember the screeching roar that pierced the back of his brain. He shuddered. **

**            " I can remember its scream." **

**            Sonic shivered a little as well. **

**            " Yeah, that thing still haunts me a little bit to this day." **

**            Crimson met emerald again. **

**            " Is there a specific question that you wanted to ask me?" **

**            Sonic frowned a little. **

**            " Well, what do you remember about the Final Hazard exactly?" **

**            The black hedgehog tried to think again. His memory was still pretty shattered. The fragments scattered about within his brain, looking for the places that they were supposed to be. The puzzle pieces were hard to figure out themselves, but Shadow tried to observe them as best as he could. Sonic, for once, didn't throttle the other hedgehog for answers. **

**            " I can… remember that roar… yellow flashes and red swirls flying by… there was a warmth that coursed underneath my skin… I… can't really remember anything else at the moment."**

**            " I see…" **

**            " What was that that I'm remembering Sonic? Tell me. You were there, weren't you?" **

**            The azure hedgehog nodded. **

**            " The Final Hazard had merged with ARK, hell bent on destroying Earth anyway. We had to stop it. Therefore, with Knuckles' help, we used the Chaos Emeralds to go Super…"**

**            Shadow looked at his hand. **

**            " So that was the warmth?"**

**            " Most likely the power we gained, yes."**

**            " Then what?"**

**            " We teamed up to defeat the Final Hazard, and we managed to do it by hitting the spots where its power was growing too fast for it to handle. Unfortunately the bastard kept trying to hit us with its lasers and other projectiles."**

**            Shadow nodded. He remembered more of the pain that came with the fight. **

**            " Anyway, we managed to beat him, but ARK was still falling… and since I'm able to use the Chaos Control like you… we gave the falling space station a nice jolt back to where it belongs. It's been floating in its orbit ever since then."**

**            _ARK… my home for most of my life… _The black hedgehog looked up and noticed the look on Sonic's face. **

**            " There's something else that you're holding back with telling me."**

**            Sonic winced. **

**            " Is this helping you at all?"**

**            " I'm beginning to understand some of the feelings that are wrapped up in my head, yes. Now tell me what troubles you."**

**            The blue hero sighed. **

**            " I really wish that you could remember more… then maybe my questions would be able to be answered."**

**            " What are you talking about, Sonic?"**

**            He pulled his backpack over to his legs and started fishing through it. **

**            " You see… when the Final Hazard was destroyed and ARK was put back… you… um… fell."**

**            " Fell?"  
            Sonic pulled out Shadow's wrist guard. The black hedgehog stared at it until Sonic handed it to him. **

**            " I wasn't sure if you were losing your Super form's powers or something, so I dove after you, trying to grab you. All I got was your wrist sheath… before you disappeared in front of me." **

**            Shadow took the guard and examined it. It was his after all. Sonic fell silent. **

**            " We didn't know if you were dead or not. I didn't want to think that you were, but most of the clues pointed to it… if you had lost your Super form, then going through the atmosphere should have killed you… but… you're sitting right in front of me. So, somehow you managed to survive… how, though, I don't know…" **

**            The black hedgehog stared at Sonic, realizing that the other hedgehog had been truly worried about him. He blinked, looking down at his wrist guard again. Gripping it, Shadow spoke up. **

**            " I'm sorry I cannot answer your questions as of now, Sonikku. For I don't know what the answers are myself as of now. I wish that I could tell you something, but I do not remember anything about the Final Hazard incident that I haven't told you already…"**

**            " It's fine, Shadow. After all… maybe this proves that you're the Ultimate Life Form after all…" **

**            Shadow blinked and started laughing. Sonic jumped a little bit and stared at the black hedgehog. **

**            " What's so funny?"  
            Shadow kept laughing. Sonic felt himself smile a little bit. He had never heard Shadow laugh…and he was pretty sure that nobody had before. Shadow rubbed his eyes.**

**            " The Ultimate Life Form…I never really cared about it after Rouge basically shoved information in my face saying that it wasn't me… but if it is me… then… oh well…" He kept laughing. " Maybe the Biolizard was the Ultimate Life Form… maybe he was a prototype. I'm really not sure. Nor do I care right about now."**

**            Sonic smiled again. **

**            " I suppose that's an interesting way to put it."**

**            Shadow flopped down against the cool grass and his laughter slowed to a few chuckles. He stared up at the darkening sky, watching the stars as he felt the grass with his hands. There was so much that he wanted to experience and to feel. Just lying there for a few minutes let him relax and get his brain to stop analyzing everything for a moment. He glanced over at Sonic, who was looking straight ahead at the city lights. His arms were wrapped around his knees, which were resting against his chest. A soft breeze blew over the two of them, causing quills to waft in it. **

**            " Are you happy?" **

**            The question shocked Sonic. He turned and looked at Shadow with an upraised eyebrow. **

**            " What?" **

**            " Are you happy?"**

**            " With?"  
            " Everything. This life. This world. Everything."**

**            Sonic blinked his green eyes and looked back at the city. **

**            " I would have to say that I'm happy. I care about this city and my friends. I enjoy helping people out as well." He looked upward. " And I'll continue to protect my friends even if I have to give up my own life to do it."**

**            Shadow watched Sonic's eyes, noting that the hedgehog was telling the truth. He smiled slightly, then sat up. **

**            " Nobility comes easily to you."**

**            " Heh… I guess…" Sonic rubbed his head again. " But it is true…" **

**            " I know." He nodded. " What time were we supposed to take the train back to Mystic Ruins?" **

**            Sonic made a face. He had practically forgotten all about the train ride home. He quickly looked at his watch. **

**            " We have about twenty minutes before the last train departs on its final route."**

**            " Then we should get going, shouldn't we?"**

**            The blue hedgehog nodded and got up. Shadow did the same and they started walking for the street, talking about things like how they were going to help Shadow get his memory back and everything. Sonic noticed Shadow was becoming more comfortable with him, relaxing and was not as serious as he normally was. The two were rounding the corner of the main street before they were spotted.**

***** **

**            Rouge stared at the computer screen drowsily. Knuckles kept looking over her shoulder, rubbing them here and there. **

**            " Maybe you should take a break. Tails or I could take over with the file."**

**            " I'm going to get this done if it kills me." **

**            Knuckles didn't argue. He probably would have said the same thing. Tails was hovering around, not saying anything. He knew better than to get in Rouge's face when she was working. The screen blipped and made a few sounds as the encryptions changed, slowly breaking and reforming into a readable document. Rouge's code cracking window beeped loudly, causing all three of them to jump. **

**            " It's done!"**

**            " About time! Must have been a big file."**

**            Rouge moved the mouse and pulled up the new document, saving it to a disk just in case the GUN Lab Database decided to open up the file itself. The last thing she wanted was to be discovered hacking the system. She started reading the file out loud. **

**            " The CC Project. Otherwise know as the Chaos Control Project…"**

**            Knuckles snorted. **

**            " How original in their naming, eh?"**

**            Tails snickered as Rouge threw them a look. Both boys shut up for fear of a flying high heel at their heads. **

**            CC Project**

            Subject Shadow the Hedgehog   
            Otherwise known as the Chaos Control Project. GUN reports from satellites showed that the suspect, along with the famous Sonic the Hedgehog, using a power called Chaos Control in order to put the falling ARK back into its normal orbit. Orders regarding the project are to discover how the Chaos Control works. 

            **" Is that why they captured Shadow?" **

**            " It has to be… I wonder why they want to know how Chaos Control works…"**

**            " Read on then."**

**            Project consists of gathering the suspect in order to discover the properties of the power. If this power can be harnessed, the militia will be able to use it to upgrade their tactics in order to get the drop on suspects and other crimes committed in the city and around the world. Orders are to capture both suspects in order to gain samples and harness the ability for the GUN Army**

            See Video 856  
            See Video 879 

            **" Both suspects?"   
            Rouge moved the mouse in order to open up the video clips. The clips were of Sonic and Shadow above Earth, when they were in their Super forms. The two were heading for the falling ARK station, using Chaos Control in order to make it return to its rightful position. The second clip showed Shadow falling, disappearing in a bright light. The three shivered a little. That image had haunted them all when they had thought that Shadow was in fact, dead. **

**            " Here, let me see what else it says."**

**            GUN Labs had one of the suspects in their control, until the second subject broke into the Labs and rescued him. All officials are hereby ordered to capture both suspects and bring them in for experimentation. **

            **" What the? Is someone adding to this report?" Rouge said, watching new information appear in the document.**

**            " Looks like they haven't seen your hacker code in it yet."**

**            " Good, let's keep it that way." She said, reading the new information out loud again. **

**            Subjects have been spotted in Station Square. Orders are to search and capture both hedgehogs for Lab Testing. Both subjects MUST be alive in order for the testing. Do not stop pursuit of the hedgehogs, no matter how crafty they are. Also, do not yield just because one of them is a national hero. Sonic the Hedgehog must be captured along with Shadow in order to complete the testing **

            The team in Tails' workshop felt their jaws drop. 

**            " They're after Sonic AND Shadow?!"**

***** **

**            " RUN!" **

**            The two hedgehogs zigzagged through the missile fire, where they exploded, sending shards of cement into the air. Shadow looked behind him and noticed the various GUN robots after them. **

**            " That's a GUN Hot Shot and Big Foot!" **

**            " I know!" Sonic said, diving out of the way of the other missiles. " What the hell are they doing here?!"**

**            " Probably want to catch me again!"**

**            " Well that isn't going to happen!" Sonic noticed that Shadow wasn't up for too much running, so he grabbed his friend's arm and took off, racing down the streets. " If we can get on the train before they hunt us down, we'll make it to Mystic Ruins before they spot us!"**

**            " Good idea!" Shadow said, looking behind them again.**

**            Both large walkers had reverted to their flying modes, hovering after the hedgehogs as they ran off. One of the pilots was barking orders into his radio, most likely calling for backup. Shadow informed Sonic of this, which made the blue hedgehog run faster in order to get to the train station. **

**            " They must be after me because I was the one who let you out!" Sonic screamed over the gunfire. **

**            " Probably!" **

**            They turned the corner toward the train station, skidding to a stop. Sonic's eyes went wide. **

**            " Oh…shit…" **

**            Foot soldiers lined the steps, raising their guns. Shadow looked around as more soldiers popped out of the woodwork of the city landmarks. **

**            " What now?" **

**            " Think we can run before the Big Foot and the Hot Shot land?"**

**            " I like the way you think, Shadow."**

**            Both hedgehogs turned tail and ran, zipping around to dodge gunfire. The foot soldiers got up and raced after them, barking orders to everyone else. **

**            " Once you get in range, use your tranqs! We're supposed to bring them back alive!" One random soldier screamed. **

**            " Yes sir!" Voices bellowed back. **

**            Sonic and Shadow dove under the legs of the two walkers, who were trying to land in the street again. Both walkers tried to turn to aim their guns at the hedgehogs and were only returned with flying spheres smashing into their windshields. **

**            " Gah! I've been hit!" The soldier running the Big Foot screamed into his mouthpiece. **

**            " Copy that. My shield is broken. Revert to nets now. Our orders are to capture those hedgehogs."**

**            The two hedgehogs were on the move again, laughing at the fact that the pilots in both the Big Foot and the Hot Shot hadn't learned about defending themselves against two flying balls of quill and flesh. Gunfire ripped through the air, causing both of them to roll underneath it to save their heads. **

**            " Christ, they're stubborn."**

**            " Remind you of anyone?"**

**            A grin.   
            " Funny."**

**            " I know." **

**            Off they went, running as hard and as fast as they could go. A GUN truck barreled out in front of them, trying to stop them in their path. Both hedgehogs screamed and skidded to a stop in front of the truck. Sonic quickly looked around and grabbed Shadow's arm. **

**            " This way!"**

**            One of the foot soldiers ran out into the middle of the street before the walkers came, aiming his gun. **

**            " I've got visual." **

**            " Go for it." The voice in his headset stated.**

**            He fired his gun off. Zipping through the air, the shot ripped into Sonic's left knee, causing him to cry out and stumble. **

**            " Direct hit, sir."**

**            " Follow on foot. He should be down in a matter of moments."**

**            " Aye, sir."**

**            Shadow helped Sonic stabilize and they ran down the alleyway that Sonic had instructed them to do. He was limping and bleeding slightly as they ran as best as they could. **

**            " Shadow, leave me. Run. They want you more than me."**

**            " I'm not leaving you for GUN to capture you. You didn't leave me in the Lab, did you?"**

**            " No…" **

**            Shadow ducked down another blackened alley with Sonic leaning on him. He looked down at Sonic's leg to examine it.   
            " What the hell?" His hand gripped the syringe and yanked it out of Sonic's knee, covering the hedgehog's mouth as he screamed in pain. " Shit. Looks like a tranquilizer." **

**            Sonic shivered, looking down. **

**            " I'm losing feeling in my leg…"**

**            " Damn it. Hang onto me." **

**            The black hedgehog pulled Sonic's arm over his shoulders to help him walk, then turned down the alleyway to get out of GUN fire. He could hear the foot soldiers rummaging in the other alley, looking for a downed hedgehog. Shadow heard Sonic's breathing slow. He started slapping at his friend's pale cheeks. **

**            " Stay awake, Sonic."**

**            " I'm… trying…" **

**            Shadow continued on down the alley. His ears picked up on the soldiers noticing the blackened alleyway that they had slipped in. _Shit shit shit shit shit!!! _The black hedgehog looked around and started down another path, trying to keep Sonic quiet and awake as he tried to shake the GUN soldiers who were hell bent on capturing them. He broke out of the alleyway and dragged Sonic along with him. Sonic was losing more feeling in his body as they continued on, growing heavier as they went on. **

**            " Shadow… run…get away…" **

**            " Not without you." **

**            " I'm …slowing you down…"**

**            " I don't care." **

**            They came into a clearing from the alleyway, running along the concrete walls of a building. Sonic was getting limper as time went by, giving Shadow some trouble with trying to keep him upright. Finally the black hedgehog scooped him up in his arms and raced down the straightaway. Spotlights appeared from the sky. **

**            " Give yourself up, Shadow the Hedgehog!" A voice bellowed from the Flying Dog. **

**            Shadow flipped him off as best as he could as he continued to carry Sonic. _If there was some way that I could get to the train station… _He saw the street opening in front of him. _Alright! Now if I can loop around… _Another GUN truck barreled into view, blocking the opening, and causing Shadow to skid. **

**            " Argh! SHIT!" He turned his body so he wouldn't crush Sonic against the trailer of the truck, and smacked into it with a force that floored him. " Ow…" **

**            The hedgehog got up and raced back the way he came, only to stop a few feet from where he was. Foot soldiers had emerged from the alleyway, with their guns drawn at him. The spotlight on the two hedgehogs waved through the air. **

**            " Give up, Shadow!" The voice boomed again. " We've got you surrounded!"**

**            Shadow glanced around. Perhaps he could somersault with Sonic underneath the truck and make a break for it… One of the soldiers noted his look and fired, shooting him in the shoulder. Screaming, Shadow stumbled back, still clutching his now unconscious friend to his body as he saw the syringe pushing fluids into his shoulder. **

**            " FUCK!" **

**            He had to try now. Turning, Shadow raced as best as he could for the opening under the truck that blocked his path. More shots rang out, stinging his back with four more tranquilizers. He screamed, slowing down as he felt more burning liquid entering him. Shuddering, Shadow looked up at the foot soldiers who were advancing upon them. His vision was already blurring. He sank to his knees, still holding Sonic in his arms, feeling his strength leaving his body. **

**            " Sonic…" He looked down. " I'm…sorry…my friend…" **

**            Shadow crumpled to the ground and was quickly surrounded by the GUN officials.   
*** **

Legal Stuff: Sonic, Shadow and crew are all copyright of SEGA. 

Likies? Want more? Gimme feedback!! :D


	8. Part 8

@_________________________________@;;;;;;;;;;; Terribly sorry for the delay. I haven't been able to work on this fic for awhile now. @_@;;; I graduate soon and my teachers thought it would be nice to give me tons of projects and stuff and work hasn't been easy and and and ::EXPLODES:: 

::Indi bits rain down::   
  
::Shadow walks by with a broom and a hat on his head:: Damnit…I hate it when that happens… ::starts sweeping her up::

**            The train whistle blew as the last train was heading for Station Square. After that, it would be shut down for the night, not returning to life until early the next morning. Tails was flying after it as fast as he could as Knuckles was running the tracks. Both boys had a hands-free earpiece on, so Rouge could tell them if there had been any updates to the GUN Database. **

**            " They weren't on that last train, Rouge. What if they indeed got captured?"  
            Knuckles could hear Rouge typing on the keyboard. **

**            " So far there haven't been any reports. You know those two though. They're probably giving GUN a run for their money if they were spotted."  
            Tails landed on the top of the last train car and swung down onto the caboose's small overhanging ledge, which was fenced in with iron bars to keep people from falling off of it if they wanted to get some fresh air. Knuckles jumped up into the air and quickly closed the gap between him and the end of the train. He snagged the horizontal bar of the iron gate and flipped himself up onto the platform with Tails. **

**            " We can only hope that the two of them either lost track of time, or they're running like hell from GUN officers." Rouge said via the communication link. **

**            " Yeah. They could have always missed the train too. Sonic's done that before." **

**            " Wouldn't he be running the tracks?" Tails asked the older male. **

**            " With Shadow as messed up as he is? Probably not. Maybe they got a room at that hotel. You know how Sonic likes to throw his heroism around in order to get free stuff."**

**            " That's true…" Tails made a small face. **

**            " Either way, boys. Be on guard. I haven't found any reports on us yet, but they might be keeping an eye out for you as well."**

**            " Right." **

**            The train zoomed down the tracks, pulling through the mountain and into the overpass of the city, where it slowly crawled to a halt into the station. The two didn't bother waiting until it fully stopped. They hopped the iron gate and landed on the platform, taking off down the stairs as the night attendant screamed at them for jumping off the train. Knuckles ignored him, while Tails waved back and apologized as he flew over the echidna as they raced out of the train station. The small orange kitsune crashed into Knuckles' shoulder as he had come to a complete stop on the porch. **

**            " Ow my nose…" Tails rubbed it a little bit. " Why'd you…stop…?" **

**            They scanned the area, noting the destruction. Cement was everywhere, along with parts of bricks that had been shot clean off the buildings. **

**            " Best bet is to say GUN spotted them." Knuckles touched his headset. " Rouge, it's a disaster area here."**

**            " What's the status?"  
            " GUN went trigger happy."**

**            " Shit. Any sign of Sonic and/or Shadow?"**

**            " Not so much as a quill around here. We'll look around, though."**

**            " Ask locals. There are always people littering the streets. Someone had to have seen something." **

**            " Copy that." He looked over at the small fox. " Well, you heard her. Let's get moving." **

**            Tails nodded and took to the skies. Knuckles went on foot, scanning the area. There was a cleanup crew that had been scraping up some of the shards that lined the sidewalks, but they weren't from GUN, so the red echidna relaxed. Tails came on over the headset since he was already out of earshot compared to his friend. **

**            " Knuckles, it looks like the fight went from around here, then toward the station, and then back this way again."**

**            " Yeah, the patterns of the gunfire show that they crossed over the same line more than once. Either Sonic and Shadow were crafty or GUN's getting sloppy."**

**            " Probably both. Look, there's some skid marks over here."**

**            " You mean they chased them down with one of their 18-Wheelers again?" **

**            " I think they just blocked their path." Tails landed and looked at the skid marks. **

**            Knuckles joined him after getting a few looks from the cleanup crew. **

**            " Find something, twerp?" **

**            Tails didn't have a very reassuring look on his face. **

**            " Knuckles, there's blood here…" **

**            The echidna paled. **

**            " Shit. How much?"**

**            " Only a little. Looks like one of them got nicked or something." **

**            " Maybe they were trying to get one of them to fall."**

**            " Most likely. It looks like they went this way." Tails pointed to the alley nearby. **

**            " Scope it out, boys. We need to find all the clues we can." Rouge's voice came over the headset link. **

**            The two went into the alleyway, looking around for more clues. Shards of the walls were scattered against the ground and on top of things, like the overturned garbage cans and boxes that were littered about. Knuckles examined the broken corner of one of the buildings that led into the next alleyway. Tails noticed the shards continued on down the path. Once he had reached the opening in the alley, he scoped the area. The number of cement and brick shards was sporadic now, disappearing completely a few feet ahead. He flicked his communicator on.**

**            " Rouge, it looks like they must have taken Shadow and Sonic down here." **

**            There was a long pause on Rouge's end. **

**            " Miss Rouge?"**

**            " …You're sure?"**

**            Knuckles' voice came over the line. **

**            " He's right, Rouge. There's an opening in this alley and the gunshots don't pierce anymore of the walls from one point on. It looks like they blocked them in," The echidna was examining the ground where the shards did not lay. He traced a tire track with his gloved mitt. " Looks like another 18-Wheeler track…"**

**            " You know those two wouldn't go willingly…" The bat said on the line.**

**            " I know."**

**            " I'm searching the Database," Sounds of keyboard clicks were heard. " For any incoming reports about the two of them being captured…"**

**            " What should we do now, Knuckles?" Tails asked, looking up at his older friend. **

**            " They've most likely been caught." The echidna stated bluntly. **

**            " I know…"**

**            " Rouge, you want us to report back to base?" **

**            " Negative." She said firmly. " Not until I confirm if the two are in GUN's clutches or not." **

**            " But what should we…" Tails started.**

**            " Scope out the city, but be careful. GUN officers might still be around to keep an eye out for any one of us. If they have Sonic, then they know to look out for a small kitsune at least. I don't know if they have any info on Knuckles though."**

**            " Wouldn't surprise me if they did." The Guardian said. " After all, they don't have as many nice patrol bots around thanks to me." He flashed a grin at Tails, who snickered a little. **

**            The two boys took to the skies above the city. Both of them could hear Rouge typing away at the keyboard. Her fingers moved rapidly, causing the keys to make loud clacking noises into their earpieces. **

**            " Should we split up?" Tails asked quietly.**

**            " Hmm… I don't think that would be wise." Knuckles stated, his eyes narrowing. **

**            His young friend looked at him questioning.**

**            " Well, if GUN is looking out for us, then we should stick together. No use getting in a bout of trouble if we were by ourselves."**

**            " You have a point."**

**            The guardian smirked a little and continued gliding. Tails flew a little above him, looking about. **

**            " Any sign of GUN officials?"**

**            " Nope…"**

**            The sound of the keyboarding died down. A curse was heard. Knuckles touched his headset. **

**            " Rouge? What is it?"**

**            There was a long pause. The guardian raised the tone of his voice. **

**            " Rouge?"**

**            " I found something."**

**            " Well?" **

**            She sighed and began to read it. **

**            " 'Subjects Sonic and Shadow Hedgehog have been captured…both subjects have been tranquilized and taken to GUN Labs like instructed…'"**

**            " Well shit…" Knuckles said, tightening one of his massive fists. **

**            " We gotta get them out of there…"**

**            " Boys, return to base." Rouge stated dryly. **

**            " …You want us to come back?"**

**            " Yes. The two of you won't be able to get into the Lab without a plan."**

**            " But…" Tails protested. **

**            " Kid, you know I'm right. Get back home now." **

**            Tails frowned, lowering his eyes. Knuckles sighed at him. **

**            " She's right, you know."  
            " I know…"**

**            " C'mon. We'll get them out of there. Don't worry."**

**            The kitsune nodded, following his friend as they circled the sky, looking for the station again. The trains had all stopped for the evening, so it would take some work for them to get back into the station so they could run the tracks back home. The doors were locked by now as well. Tails and Knuckles landed on the roof of the building and looked at each other, then smiled. It was a typical occurrence that the two of them had to do what they were about to do. Many times they missed the last train back home, so by now, the group had a specific opening to the overpass made so they would be able to get in. Knuckles moved over to the first panel in the glass that made up the overpass's top and gripped at the sides of it with his gloved hands. Tails had made grooves in the glass so it was easier to grip, so it didn't take Knuckles too long before he had the panel off. **

**            " Go on, kiddo."**

**            Tails nodded and slipped in through the opening, landing softly on the floor beneath him. Knuckles followed suit, replacing the panel as he hung from a light fixture. He dropped down, landing next to his small companion. They exchanged quick glances, then took off down the tunnel, heading back to Mystic Ruins.**

***** **

**            _No…_ **

**            He tried to rush away. Glass fell, blockading. His hands tore against it. **

**            _No!! Please! No!!!_**

******Screaming did nothing. It was muffed against the glass. **

**            _NO! PLEASE!! DON'T!!_**

******The liquid flowed in. His fist beat against the glass. **

**            _NOOOO!!!! DON'T DO IT!!! DON'T SHUT ME AWAY!! NOOooo…_**

***** **

**            The scream echoed in his mind. Shadow grunted a little and tried to forget it. That was until he realized that it wasn't his voice anymore. The scream was real. And it was familiar. He forced his eyes to open and waited for them to stop from blurring. The area looked a little familiar, considering that he could barely see properly. _It's from those damned tranquilizers…I know it…that's why I'm so out of it…_Shadow tried to determine the voice behind the screaming. It was hard since his senses were very out of whack. He could smell blood though. **

**            " It would appear that the other is awake now."**

**            " No matter. We already have samples from him. He can wait and listen to his friend scream…"**

**            The onyx hedgehog groaned, feeling the restraints now. _His…friend…? _Another scream rang out, severely pained and clearer now. He felt his crimson eyes snap open. **

**            " SONIKKU!" **

**            The screaming continued. Most of it was unintelligible, but Shadow could pick out bits and pieces of actual words behind Sonic's screams. He struggled, still weak from the tranquilizer serum that had been pumped into him. **

**            " Should we worry about the black one…?"**

**            " No. He was hit with more tranquilizers than this one. He's not any threat to us as of yet."**

**            " Do you think we should actually sedate this one?"**

**            " Did we sedate the first one before?" The tone of the male voice showed his answer clearly. **

**            Whoever was hurting Sonic did not falter from tormenting him. His screams were beginning to get shrill and frantic. Shadow winced, feeling pain now himself. Someone moved. **

**            " Sir…?"**

**            " Monitor him."**

**            " Yes sir."**

**            Shadow trembled, unable to do anything. Being forced to hear his friend's screams was maddening. _Sonikku…_ His blurry eyes blinked. He saw something else now. His vision was clearer, noting everything as it either moved, or made a sound. There were unfamiliar faces hovering around with placid looks plastered on them. Metal glinted in the air. Followed by severe pain. He felt the yelp gyrate through him as blood flowed. Another look down showed patches where skin had been removed, along with flesh. Everything stung. Someone placed wet cloths against the open patches of exposed flesh, searing them with the harsh chemicals that were soaked within. Another scream echoed. Along with more pain. Then he realized something he hadn't before. The fur was blue. _What the…? _Shadow blinked again and regained his cloudy vision. Something pierced his arm, causing him to scream, matching Sonic's. He looked down at where the throbbing was coming from, only to find that there was nothing there. _Eh…?_**

**            " The black one…he…"**

**            " I saw."**

**            " But…"**

**            " Continue monitoring him. I must test something."**

**            Shadow struggled. _What is going on? They're not doing anything to me and yet I ache all over…_ Something bit into his right shoulder, moving down very slowly. Sonic's cry was louder than his, but the pain just continued. **

**            " Sir, I—"**

**            " Interesting…"**

**            He trembled slightly, thinking about the agony that Sonic had to have been going through. Shadow turned his head to try and locate his friend in the room. He squinted in order to see what he thought was Sonic. The blue hedgehog was strapped to a table, like Shadow had been when they had tortured him, immobile. Sonic was thrashing around as best as he could, hoping to be able to loosen his bonds. One of the Lab officials moved to a spot under Sonic's left shoulder, just above the peach fur of his chest. The blade bit into his flesh at such a sharp angle that Sonic screamed simple because of the digging motion that it was going at. Shadow felt a twinge in his flesh as well, gasping a little as the pain became more intense. The flesh was ripped away. Both hedgehogs screamed. Sonic groaned, turning his head to look at his friend. Shadow blinked a little as he noted the look on the azure hedgehog's face. Sonic's emerald eyes were half lidded, showing his fatigue. **

**            " S-sorry…Shadow-san…ugh…" And he was down and out. **

**            Someone snickered. **

**            " How touching."**

**            Shadow felt anger rising up through him like a burning flame. **

**            " You…fucking assholes…He's a hero…"**

**            " Ask me if I care."**

**            The onyx hedgehog blinked back anger and glared at one of the random officials. One moved toward him. **

**            " You…" The word hissed out like a plague. " I oughta----AAAAAH!!!" **

**            " You 'oughta' shut up and sleep, prisoner." The man with the shun gun said. **

**            Shadow felt his body shutting down. His eyes got heavy quickly. He struggled a little more before finally going limp. _No…I have to help…So…ni…ccccc…._**

***** **

Come on…do it… you know you wanna leave a review… click the review button… @_@;;; ^.^

Shadow: O.o; How can bits talk?!   
  
Sonic: I ain't gluing her back together again…

Shadow: u.u;; Damnit. I have to don't I?  
  
Sonic: YUP! ^.^

Shadow: ::grumble:: .O!!!


	9. Part 9

Wee!! I finally got some time to put up this new part to the story… ^-^ YAY! ^('.'^) 

Shadow: Are you going to explode today? Putting your echidna butt back together wasn't easy you know…  
. . Um, I don't have any plans on exploding today…  
Shadow: Good. 

            Rouge's cursing could be heard from about a mile away. Knuckles felt a sweat drop appear on the back of his head. 

**            " I'm not too sure I want to be anywhere near her right now…"**

**            " She's not mad at us, you know." Tails said quietly.**

**            " I know…but you know, she starts throwing things after awhile…"**

**            " You know from experience?" The grin on the kitsune's face quickly spread. **

**            Knuckles slanted his eyes. **

**            " Shut up. We have more important things to worry about right now."**

**            Tails' grin disappeared.**

**            " Well sorry for trying to break the tension…" He muttered.**

**            The Guardian said nothing and proceeded onward. The flying brown fox sighed and followed him as quickly as he could. The tunnel's opening in the mountain soon came into view, where the night's sky could be seen beyond the track. The stars always twinkled brightly in Mystic Ruins, unlike in Station Square, where the lights of the city had drowned them out. The two heroes exited the tunnel, still traveling on the tracks. Neither of them bothered to go to the station that was at the end of the line. Knuckles jumped off the tracks, gliding down toward Tails' workshop, where the small fox followed him, still airborne. They landed on the plateau that was sticking out of the side of the hill and quickly ran up the stairs to the porch of the shop. The door opened swiftly and the infuriated white bat stood there with her hands on her hips. **

**            " Where in the hell have you two been?!"**

**            The boys winced. **

**            " Rouge, you know we just got back from running the tracks…"**

**            She fumed. **

**            " We don't have time for this. We gotta come up with a plan to get Sonic and Shadow out of GUN Labs ASAP."**

**            " Yeah…"**

**            The white treasure hunter grabbed both of them and dragged the boys inside, kicking the door shut on her way in. She tossed the two aside on the floor and stood in front of them, with her arms crossed. Tails rubbed his head as Knuckles got to his feet. **

**            " Well, we'll have to try and find out exactly where they are being kept in the Labs before we do anything. I mean, if we just rush in there with no plan, we're fucked."**

**            " I've been hacking the Database while you two were trying to get back here. I'll have the floor plans soon as my program does its cross checks and everything."**

**            The small kitsune got up and looked at the two treasure hunters. **

**            " Can you get the security schematics of the Labs?"**

**            Rouge looked down at him.**

**            " Good thinking kiddo. We'll need to find a safe entryway in and exit and everything."**

**            Knuckles nodded in agreement, then spoke up.**

**            " How long before your program gets into that part of the Database?" **

**            " Not completely sure…it could be an hour…it could be more…" **

**            " Looks like there's not much we can do until you get those files then, right?"**

**            " …Right…"**

**            Tails looked down at the metal floor of his workshop. _I hope they'll be okay…_**

**            " Come on. We have a lot of work to do."**

***** **

**            That damn tube was down his throat again. He wanted to take it out of his mouth but the lack of mobility prevented him. The acid water had once again returned to swirling around him, making the cords of all the sensors sway back and forth as they continued monitoring his vital signs. Shadow opened his eyes, regretting it as soon as he did so. The water stung sharply, but he was too stubborn not to close them. His crimson eyes darted around, trying to see if he could visualize anything outside of the stasis tube. Only cloudy images appeared behind the glass, probably looking at him and the readouts that the sensors had to have been producing. Shadow groaned against the tube in his throat, clouding up this facemask a little with his breath. _I wish I had the strength to flip them off right now… _He closed his eyes. _Sonikku… I hope he's alright… _The black hedgehog thought about the testing that his companion had gone through. _I remember when they did that to me… it was horrible… and yet… I somehow experienced it again through Sonic… _It puzzled him to no end. _How is it that I could sense the same things that he was going through? What purpose does that have? _His body relaxed a little, telling him to rest more. _Was I created for more than one reason…? Perhaps…I have…som…e….oth…er….purpose…_ He slowly went completely limp again as his body shut down, forcing him to rest. **

***** **

**            It was warm. Power. He felt like he could do anything. **

**            " You go that way!" A voice barked at him. **

**            He snapped out of his trance and looked toward the voice. A yellow flash shot away from him, going toward the right. Nodding, he went to the left like instructed. There was no stopping either of them now…until he saw something twinkle from up ahead. _Nani? _A reddish-pink flash appeared, then multiplied. _What the hell? _The pink things in the distance moved, almost taunting. Then they zipped forward, creating arcs of reddish aura trailing behind them. He felt his eyes widen as he dodged out of the way of one of them, noticing that they were large orbs. _They…look familia---ACK!!!_ One slammed into his back, exploding and causing a brief moment of pain. He spiraled forward a little, trying to regain his balance.**

**            " Shadow! Are you okay?!" **

**            He turned toward where the orbs were coming from and sped forward again. **

***** **

**            The stars above seemed dimmer than usual. A frown appeared on his furry face as he stared up at them. Sighing, his fist tightened a little. **

**            " What are you doing out here?" Knuckles' deep voice startled him. **

**            Light blue eyes looked over at the scarlet echidna. **

**            " Just…looking at the stars…" He said quietly.**

**            " Trying to relax considering all that's happened?"**

**            The fox didn't answer. Purple eyes slanted slightly at him.**

**            " Tails?"**

**            " They don't look as bright as they usual do."**

**            " What?"**

**            " The stars…" He pointed up at them. " They normally twinkle and sparkle more than what they are doing right now…"**

**            The Guardian looked up and stared at them. He folded his arms across his chest. **

**            " They look like they always do, Tails…"**

**            " No…" **

**            Knuckles glanced over at him. **

**            " What is it?"**

**            " They…are not as bright… as when we're looking at them…"**

**            It finally hit him. **

**            " Oh…" A frown appeared. **

**            Tails looked down. **

**            " The stars always seemed to shine brighter whenever Sonic was here… it was like… they were showing him that they could be just as pure as he was. Since Sonic's not here…the stars…" **

**            Knuckles' hand gripped his small friend's shoulder. **

**            " Look, Sonic's going to be back. So don't start acting like he's gone for good. Both he and Shadow are going to be okay."**

**            " You don't know that…"**

**            " And you don't know if they're dead. Rouge said that the invoices in the GUN Database say that they wanted both of them to be alive. So they have to be. And you know how the two of them are. They won't die anytime soon."**

**            Tails thought about this for a moment and looked back up at his friend. **

**            " I suppose you're right…"**

**            " Try to get some rest, kid. We're going to be busy tomorrow."**

**            " Yeah…" **

**            He looked back up at the stars and then got up to follow Knuckles back inside. The kit tried to hide a yawn, but the older male saw it almost immediately. **

**            " Get to bed, Tails."**

**            " But…"**

**            " I'll help Rouge get those schematics. You get some rest. You were up earlier than we were."**

**            " Okay…" He sullenly walked off toward his room. **

**            The Guardian watched him go and shook his head slightly, then headed toward the computer room where Rouge was. The female bat was still sitting at the large computer, staring at the files that were being transferred and masked. **

**            " How's it going?"**

**            She yawned slightly.**

**            " Almost there… I'll have the whole schematics soon."**

**            " Copied to disk so you can get out of the Database before someone spots ya?"**

**            " Right…" **

**            " You going to go to bed after this?"**

**            " No…"**

**            " Why not? You're obviously fatigued."**

**            " I have to go over the schematics…"**

**            " You don't have to right away."**

**            " Knuckles, if I don't, then we'll be wasting time."**

**            The echidna folded his arms again as he leaned against the doorframe. **

**            " Making yourself tired isn't going to help us."  
            " Don't talk to me like I'm a child. I heard you send Tails to bed, and I'll be damned if I let you try to send me to bed like you did with him."**

**            " Did you hear what I said to him before?"**

**            " I did." Her large ears twitched slightly. **

**            " Then listen to it." **

**            She sputtered and turned to face him, her face getting a little flushed. **

**            " How dare you speak to me like that!"**

**            " Rouge, they'll be fine…if we rush, then we're just going to set ourselves up for disaster."**

**            The white bat flexed her wings a little, frowning. **

**            " But they're going to do…horrible things to them…look at how badly Shadow was…"**

**            Knuckles looked down. **

**            " I know…but they're strong. You know that."**

**            " Yeah…I know…"**

**            The file beeped. Rouge turned back to the computer and fiddled with the mouse. She quickly double checked everything and set up the program to make a "back door" for her to access when she would need to get into the Database again, then shut everything pertaining to it down. She was about to access the floppy disk when Knuckles' hand grabbed at the mouse, covering hers. **

**            " What are you doing?"**

**            " You need rest, Rouge. We all do."**

**            Her green eyes slanted at his purple ones. **

**            " I told you not to tell me what to do."**

**            " You're tired. You need sleep. The schematics will be here in the morning."**

**            " If I don't work on this…"**

**            " It will be here in the morning…"**

**            Rouge frowned. **

**            " You're not going to let me get away with this one, are you?"**

**            " Nope." His smile was appearing again. **

**            The white bat sighed and slowly got to her feet. **

**            " Okay, okay…I'll go to bed. But that means that you have to as well."**

**            The Guardian nodded, taking his hand off of hers. She looked up at him for a moment and then turned toward the doorway, only pausing for a brief second. **

**            " Goodnight, Knuckles." And she disappeared down the hallway. **

**            Smirking, the red echidna shut down the computer completely and departed from the room himself, letting the door shut on its own. He headed for his own spare room, thinking to himself. _I want to help them as soon as you guys do, but if we don't rest, then none of us are going to be any help to Sonic or Shadow. _He sighed a little and entered his room, carefully shutting the door after him, turning in for the night. **

*****   
            Something roared. It sounded similar to the roar he had heard before in the other piece of the puzzle, but yet is wasn't. He turned and watched the giant thing stomp around before him. Pipes protruded from its mouth, running up to the glowing red system that was drove into its back. **

**            " The Ultimate Life Form…" He felt his lips move, barely uttering the title. **

**            It roared again. His fist tightened as he looked on. There was no turning back. He was the diversion, after all. Skittering forward, he picked up speed and zipped along the brown stone floor. Popping noises sounded after him. A quick glance over his shoulder allowed him to see the black energy flying at him. It was wrapped with purple lightning, which crackled against the darkness. Skidding a little, he somersaulted underneath the energy, only to be forced to jump up into the air to evade a lower attack that dashed at him against the floor. He looked about and saw another airborne attack. He repeated his maneuver and then jumped again to evade the once again attack that was on the floor. _Its patterns are easy to predict…_ He backpedaled a little and watched for the next attack. It came swiftly, once again, it was airborne. Shadow smirked and somersaulted yet again, jumping instantly. _This is easy… _His eyes widened as a black ball of airborne energy flew toward him. He was right in the way so it collided with him, exploding. The purple lightning swarmed around him, burning and singing fur as he clattered to the ground, shrieking.   
*** **

**            His eyes snapped open as he screamed. Blinking and panting, Shadow glanced around and slowly sat up. _Where…? _He wasn't in the stasis tube anymore, nor was he tied down to a table or anything. The onyx hedgehog blinked again, looking about. _GUN couldn't have just let me go like that… _**

**            " Ah, so you're awake." **

**            Crimson eyes turned toward a screen on the wall. It was another scientist. **

**            " Lovely…" He glared. " What the hell do you want?"**

**            " You're the hedgehog that is known for being able to use Chaos Control. Therefore we wanted to examine this skill in action."**

**            Shadow sneered at him. **

**            " You really think I'll actually help you?" He started laughing. **

**            " You have a choice…but I wouldn't be surprised if you still refused."**

**            The glare appeared again. " What the hell are you talking about?"**

**            The scientist moved back from the camera a little to let him see the stasis tube area. Two of them were in view, one empty, and one full. The empty one had to have been his. Shadow watched carefully as the camera zoomed in on the full one. He saw blue quills dangling free in the green water. **

**            " Sonikku…"**

**            " Yes. We're keeping him alive just like you."**

**            " What does he have anything to do with me helping you?" Shadow had a feeling, but he didn't want to be right.**

**            " We want you to perform Chaos Control for us to monitor."**

**            " And if I refuse?"**

**            " Then…" There was a beeping noise. "…I'm afraid your friend won't last very long…"**

**            Sonic started curling a little within the tube. His hands grasped at his throat, causing bubbles to appear from his facemask. Shadow felt his eyes widen again. _They cut off his air supply!! _His fist tightened. **

**            " Okay! Okay!! Just don't kill him!"**

**            The same beeping was heard. Sonic stopped struggling within his tube prison, relaxing again as he floated in the green water. Shadow growled underneath his breath as well. _Fucking bastards…they're using him as a crutch to make me do what they want… _**

**            " Now then…"   
            The red striped hedgehog looked back to see a few more scientists heading toward him. He looked at all of them with a watchful eye. **

**            " Do not fear them. They will not hurt you." **

**            The three scientists advancing toward Shadow were all female. All of the people that he had seen so far when it came to the experiments and the torture had been male. It was a switch, but he didn't trust them either. One of them smiled at him. **

**            " Please move your arms up a little…"**

**            He did what he was told. The female scientists fastened little sensors to his fur, securing them down gently. Shadow frowned but didn't resist. **

**            " There. Now, since we have you hooked up to the monitors, you will be able to perform Chaos Control for us… but remember. If you attempt to escape, we will kill your friend. So don't bother trying anything stupid." **

**            Shadow sneered at the man again. **

**            " How exactly am I supposed to Chaos Control without an emerald…eh??"**

**            One of the females produced the Silver Chaos Emerald. **

**            " We will provide you with the emerald, but as stated before, you are not allowed outside of the Labs."**

**            " And where the hell do you want me to Chaos Control to then?"**

**            " Other side of that wall will be fine…"**

**            Shadow snarled a little and snatched the emerald from the female. He held it tightly in one hand and gritted his teeth a little bit. **

**            " Chaos…control…---" He whispered, suddenly appearing on the other side of the room like he had been instructed. " There…happy now, asshole?"**

**            " Nice try, Shadow, but it didn't work. We've got readouts of your powers before and that was nowhere even close to being an actual warp."**

**            The black hedgehog frowned slightly. _They could tell that I ran… Damn it. I don't want to help these fuckers at all… _**

**            " Now. Do it or I'm afraid this 'hero' won't be saving any kitties stuck up in trees anymore." The man motioned back to the helpless Sonic. **

**            Gripping his fingers against the sides of the emerald, Shadow winced slightly. Silver sparkles appeared from the emerald itself, flowing up his hands. His voice deepened as he held onto the emerald with both hands. **

**            " CHAOS…." **

**            The man behind the screen seemed very pleased. **

**            " Status."**

**            " It is the Chaos Control technique, sir…" Another man said.**

**            " Good. Maintain collection."**

**            "…CONTROL!!!" **

**            Silver energy engulfed him and slowly imploded onto itself. The black hedgehog disappeared from sight. **

**            " Excellent!" The scientist looked back over to the spot where he predicted the hedgehog to reappear. A moment passed. "…Where is he…? STATUS! NOW!!" He bellowed. **

**            " Subject appears to have left premises…sir…"**

**            A sneer appeared on the scientist's face. **

**            "…Sir?"**

**            " Cut off the other hedgehog's life support."**

**            " But…sir…"**

**            " DO IT!"**

**            " Urk…yes sir…"**

**            The man at the console slowly started flicking switches. Machines began to hum down, slowly shutting off. Sonic didn't appear to be in any danger for the moment. **

**            " ALL of it."**

**            " But…"**

**            " ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY ORDERS?!" The main scientist finally lost his cool. **

**            " No sir!"**

**            " THEN SHUT IT DOWN!" **

**            Two more switches were moved. Floating inside of his glass prison, Sonic suddenly couldn't breathe. His eyes snapped open as he forced his hands to claw at the mask around his mouth. He began struggling, flailing around inside the tube as he slowly suffered. The head scientist just watched. **

**            " Sir… this is torture…"**

**            " And the experiments weren't?"**

**            " Well…"**

**            The sensors on the console shot up, gathering a high power reading. **

**            " Sir!"**

**            " What is it?"**

**            A blip of silver appeared back in the other room. Shadow suddenly appeared, holding something in his hands. He quickly looked up at the screen. **

**            " Leave him alone!!" **

**            " You left the premises. I have every right to kill him now."**

**            " You wanted your damned proof that I actually warped, didn't you?! Turn the life support back on!" Shadow wasn't even looking at the scientist this time. He was focused solely on the agonizing Sonic. **

**            " What's your proof?"**

**            " Turn on the damned life support and I'll show you!"**

**            " You show me first and then I'll turn on the machines."**

**            Shadow growled. Sonic didn't have time for him to bitch at this asshole. He held his arm up, showing off yellow flowers. **

**            " What is that supposed to prove to me? You could have gotten those anywhere."**

**            " These only grow near the outskirts of the city…ask anyone…"**

**            The attendant looked at his boss. **

**            " Sir, he's telling you the truth… I've seen those before…"**

**            " Humph…" **

**            Sonic was curling now within his tortured prison. The lack of air was getting to him and it was getting hard to stay awake. **

**            " Now turn Sonic's support back on!!"**

**            " Hmm…He's nearly dead anyway. Why should you care if he dies or not?"**

**            Crimson eyes showed that he was taken aback by the comment. Shadow's fist tightened a little. **

**            " Leave…him…alone…"**

**            " Getting angry, are we?"**

**            " Fucking…asshole…"**

**            The female scientists were approaching Shadow now, apparently ready to try and take the hedgehog down. **

**            " Turn it back on…or I swear…"**

**            " You swear what? You're powerless to stop me."**

**            His fingers gripped in a reflex maneuver, feeling the hardness of the emerald in his hand. He blinked and gripped it again, gaining more confidence. The women ran for him now, prepared to stop him. **

**            " CHAOS CONTROL!" And he was gone. **

**            " Use the sensors to detect where he will be." **

**            " Yes si---ACK!" The assistant and his chair went flying backwards. **

**            The head scientist looked over to where the man had been sitting as Shadow reappeared, standing on the console. He quickly flipped ever switch back on and noticed that Sonic was relaxing again out of the corner of his eye. **

**            " There…"**

**            Guns cocked loudly. Shadow glared at the men in the room. _I have an emerald… they can't stop me when I have an emerald… _A sadistic grin appeared on his face as he chuckled quietly. **

**            All hell broke loose. Shadow was faster now by using the emerald to warp and attack the GUN officials before they could shoot him. He didn't care about the lackeys. He just wanted to get to the boss. The head scientist who was so bent on torturing them. Two men went flying from a rapid high kick combo and Shadow charged him, screaming. It didn't last though. **

**            " I had a feeling you'd attack us." The scientist grinned and sidestepped. **

**            Shadow darted past him and skidded to a turning stop. He braced his feet against the floor and prepared for another takeoff. _Just let me hurt him…_ Red eyes looked up for a moment to see a gun pressed against his forehead. _…FUCK._  
*** **

Shadow: Why is it that I never win?? O_O  
Sonic: Um… cuz I'm the cool one?  
Shadow: .O COME OVER HERE AND SAY THAT PUNK!   
Sonic: BRING IT!!  
  
O.o;; Um…guys? o.O;;   
::They start fighting, kicking up dirt and sand as only flying fists and feet can be seen anymore::  
o_o;; um… never mind…^^;;; 

^.^ Leave a review! :D 


	10. Part 10

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Found the notes I had for this story… I wrote this next part in about…three days after I found the notes again. :D Sorry for taking so long.   
  
Shadow: It's about damn time! People love me you know!  
Sonic: The love me more.

Shadow: You need me to kick your ass again?!

Sonic: Why you---

  
BOYS! Stop!!! Let them enjoy the next part for god's sake…. @_@;;;  
  
Hope you like it! :D

**            He didn't move. Even with the Chaos Emerald, Shadow wouldn't be able to get away in time before the gun went off with it being against his skin. The ebony hedgehog frowned, still glaring up at the scientist. The man was only grinning. **

**            " You can't try to warp now…can you?"**

**            He gulped a little in nervousness. This only sent the man into a laughing fit.   
            " Seeing as that you can't do anything to stop me…" **

**            _Just you wait, asshole… I'll get you yet… _**

**            " Perhaps it's time for you to go back into the stasis tube…"**

**            The hedgehog's eyes widened a little. _They're going to shut me away again… until they want to use me for whatever sick scheme of theirs… _He bit his lip and growled softly. Attendants appeared, ready to restrain Shadow if he resisted. The leader's grin was still plastered against his face. **

**            " Don't worry…you won't need to fight them this time…" **

            **Shadow eyed him with an upraised eyebrow. _What the hell is they guy blithering about now? _The man moved his pistol into the air quickly, and brought it crashing down onto the hedgehog's skull. A spatter appeared in the air as Shadow cried out, falling to the ground. He laid there, dazed, blood running down his forehead. **

**            " See? I told you that you wouldn't have to…fight…them……" The man's voice disappeared as darkness soon entered the picture.   
***  **

**            It hurt. A lot. He squirmed. **

**            " What…the hell is happening to me…" He spoke aloud to no one. **

**            Burning pain flowed up and down his arms. He couldn't tell if it was his blood or something else inside of him now. It seared and slowly traveled on. _If only I could move… why can't I move…? _**

**            Sharpness. It bit into him as he tried to use his muscles. _Ow! Son of a bitch…_ **

**            " Interesting," An unknown voice spoke out, but it seemed very distant to him. " It would appear that there is something extraordinary about him as well…" **

**            _Wha…? Extraordinary? What is…it… talking about? _**

**            " Continue the test."**

**            Pressure was applied to his chest. _What? Now what? _It felt as if someone was sitting on him or something. **

**            " Be careful or you'll get kicked off. Even though restrained---"**

**            " I know…" A quiet, annoyed voice spoke up. This voice was closer to him. **

**            _Whoever said that is the one on me… or… whatever… _**

**            The pressure on his chest increased slightly. He squirmed a little, trying to regain a sense of where he was. Then it happened. Something drove itself into his chest, practically all the way through him and to his back. His mouth and eyes flew open as the scream reverberated through the halls. **

**            " Continue holding it there until we get the complete readouts."**

**            " Yes sir."   
            The metal inside of him stayed put, moving somewhat as the person holding it tightened their grip. The pain was unbearable. It was like someone stabbed him through the heart with a sword, and was holding it there as his blood flowed, watching him die slowly. Warm liquid collected on his chest, around the metal, and slowly ran down him as its pool overflowed. He could barely stand it. The instrument inside of him hadn't pierced any of his organs, and yet it continued to hurt him incredibly. His screaming became louder and more frantic, turning to pleas of death and relief from the anguish. **

**            " We collected a lot of information. Now just move it down a little more and we should be able to get the rest." **

**            The metal was shoved violently farther into the wound. Gasping, his head flung back, with wide, soulless green eyes staring off into nothing as he felt them tapping into his life force. **

**            The scream could be heard throughout the entire building. **

***** **

**            A shiver ran up his spine. _My god… How… could I hear that… even though I'm stuck in here? What are those bastards doing…?! _Freely floating in his acidic prison, Shadow contemplated. _There must be a way out… If this keeps up, surely they will end up killing us both… I must think of something… _Some of his blood swirled out into the bubbly water of the stasis tube, dissipating against the chemicals almost instantly. The ebony hedgehog continued to ponder, thinking of any way he could escape and manage to help Sonic as well. _Wait… if I could just talk to Sonikku… I could find out what path he took when he rescued me from this hell last time… Then we could…escape… but… there's almost no way for me to be able to talk to him… They never let us out at the same time… Perhaps if I can regain some strength… I'll be able to break free from them the next time they want to test me… then get Sonic out of here… Hmm… _He continued to think to himself. _If…only……_His head dropped a little, slipping into another resting state. **

***** **

**            " Zzz…zugh?" **

**            One purple eye opened. _Morning already…_ The crimson echidna rolled over to look at the clock near his bed. _Not too late in the morning yet. Ah well… Better skip the morning workout so I can help with the schematics… _He stretched, cracking out the kinks in his neck and slowly got out of bed. Knuckles rubbed his ungloved hands a little, massaging his spikes on each hand, then snatched his gloves off the dresser nearest him. After putting those on, he slipped his green socks on, then his favorite shoes over them, snapping the metal on each of them down, securing them in place. **

**            Rubbing his eyes as he left his room, the Guardian lingered around for a moment in the open and then started looking for either Tails or Rouge. _Hmm…_ He headed for the Computer Room again. Sure enough, both of them were in there, going over the schematics. Knuckles chuckled quietly and leaned up against the doorframe, folding his arms. **

**            " So…nobody bothered to wake me up?"**

**            The small kitsune looked over his shoulder at the older echidna, smiling slightly. Rouge's ears twitched, but she did not turn around.   
            " I was up at the crack of dawn like usual and I figured that you needed the sleep." Tails said, somewhat cheerfully. **

**            Knuckles' raised one eyebrow at him. " What did you put in your cereal today, kiddo?"**

**            Light blue eyes met his purple ones. **

**            " I thought about what you said last night and well… why be depressed when I know that we're going to help the both of them?" **

**            The Guardian smirked. " Attaboy."**

**            Tails rubbed the back of his head a little and grinned sheepishly. Rouge continued to stare at the screen, observing everything that she had saved to disk carefully. **

**            " If you two are done with the pleasantries, I suggest you help me with this. The more time we waste, the more time those GUN bastards have to torture Sonic and Shadow." Her tone was serious and strong. **

**            The two boys nodded. Knuckles walked into the room and stood behind Rouge. **

**            " What's the scoop?" He asked, folding his arms again. **

**            " Well… the main labs are here." The mouse moved to the top part of the building. " Special projects are located at the top floors, because then only the right personnel can get in, using certain elevators and whatnot. Basically, no one but scientists and the head honchos can get past the twentieth floor." **

**            " So that basically means that we're not going through the front door…"**

**            " Exactly." She clicked a few keys on the keyboard, pulling up the ventilation system map of the entire building. " So… this is probably our best bet."**

**            " Going through the ventilation ducts?! That's so old…"**

**            " Maybe… but it's one of the only ways…"**

**            " Can I make a Mission: Impossible reference here?" Tails asked politely. Rogue gave him a look, which caused the young fox to hold up his hands in defense. " Sorry! Sorry! Hehe…" **

**            Knuckles snickered a little to himself.   
            " Okay little Miss Know-It-All… what's the game plan then?" **

**            " Well, this is the security system of GUN Labs." She pulled that map up as well, which overlapped the ventilation schematics. " As you can see, GUN doesn't take any chances. But… the idiots leave this part…" She circled a vent system near the top of the building with the mouse. " …Completely unsecured at night. Something about the laser system that they have in the vents can fuck around with the machines in the rooms that are near this patch of ducts since they produce so much heat. Therefore, they turn them off at night so whatever experiments that they're working on don't… 'spoil' so to speak."**

**            " So it's a break in through the vent system in the middle of the night, sneak in, find the guys and then book it the hell out of there. What about the 'CC Project' information?" Knuckles said firmly.   
            " We won't have enough time to get that in this run. We might have to break in again, or perhaps I can hack it through the Database. Right now our objective is to get Sonic and Shadow and get out ASAP. The two of them are probably going to need medical assistance right away, so we won't be able to slip up or all our asses are in trouble." **

**            Tails was hovering above them now, looking down at his friends. **

**            " So what is each of us going to be doing?"**

**            Rouge smiled as she looked up at him. **

**            " Well, we're going to have to get into this vent here." Her finger touched the screen. " Tails, you'll be in the Tornado, waiting outside this vent for Knuckles and me while we break in."  
            " Aww…but…" He started to protest. **

**            " No whining. This is the fastest way. Knuckles and me can glide away if we need to, but we'll need you to transport Sonic and Shadow back here, so a quick getaway is necessary." **

**            " Yes'm." Tails said, agreeing. **

**            " And we'll be running around busting some heads?" Knuckles grinned, liking the idea. **

**            " Oh stop. At night there are barely any actual personnel there. If anything we might be running into GUN robots again." **

**            " Lovely…Ah well, they're fun to smash."**

**            She sighed, shaking her head a little. " I'll never understand men…"  
            " Eh, you like kicking the shit out of things as well, Rouge, so don't knock it when you've tried it." He gave her a quick smile. **

**            " Point. Now, I've approximated that Sonic and Shadow are probably in THIS room." Her finger pointed to a room located in one of the middle areas of a floor. " This is one of the rooms with the most security barriers in the Database. It seems GUN doesn't want too many people figuring out what goes on in this room. So it's only logical that our friends are in there."**

**            " And so when we're running around in there, Tails will be giving us directions from the Tornado?"  
            The female bat nodded. " That's right. Since I have this schema… I can plot our course like so…" She typed rapidly and the path was laid out on the schematics, along with a bunch of directions popping out in the sidebar. " Tails can give us the instructions while we're looking for the boys."   
            The fox rubbed his head a little. " Will this upload into the Tornado?"**

**            " Of course. I'll make a copy for you to use."**

**            " Okay!" **

**            " What time does this all go down?" Knuckles asked. **

**            " The security doesn't go down until about ten at night. I'll give them about an hour to get all the personnel out, so we'll attack at eleven."**

**            " Sounds good to me." **

**            " Okay! I'll go make the modifications for the Tornado!" **

**            Rouge was already making the copy of the plan on another disk for him. Tails waited patiently for it to be done, took it from her immediately, and set off to work on the plane once more. Knuckles watched him depart and then looked at Rouge. **

**            " You alright?"**

**            She blinked, looking up at him. " Hmm? Oh, yeah I'm fine."**

**            " You're sure?"  
            " I'm just a little worried about them."**

**            " We all are."**

**            " I know." Her wings flapped a little. " Look, I'm going to go get some fresh air. We have a lot of time to kill before we need to set out."**

**            He nodded and moved out of her way as she bypassed him and left the room. The Guardian looked at the screen again, eying the plan for anything that they might have missed. _Hmm… seems as flawless as it's going to be, I guess. Sure we might run into some trouble, but I'm sure the three of us can handle it. _He shut down everything and turned the computer out, after removing the disk with the original schematics on it, placing it in a case next to the monitor. He sighed quietly. _I just hope the two of them are okay…_ With that, he set out from the room, heading toward where Tails was to help with anything that the small mechanic might need.  **

***** **

**            " Shadow… wake up… Shadow…" The voice was urgent. **

**            He opened his eyes slowly and shook his head. " What is it…?"**

**            " Hurry, come with me."**

**            His hand was snatched up and he was practically dragged out of the bed. Fumbling a little, Shadow quickly regained a steady balance and began to run a little, since he was being pulled along. **

**            " What's going on? Where are we going?"**

**            " Hush… we have to hurry." **

**            " But---whoa!" The black hedgehog was pulled into a room. " Wha…?"**

**            " Quick. Stand over there in that circle." **

**            " But I…"   
            " _Please_, Shadow."**

**            His crimson eyes blinked a little as he did as he was asked. Sounds were heard from the hallway. He looked toward the door. _Are there others on the ship? _**

**            " Oh no… there's no time…" **

**            Beep. **

**            The young hedgehog looked back toward his friend, only to be suddenly surrounded by glass. His eyes widened as he ran up to the wall of the tube and pressed his hands against it. He opened his mouth to speak when the doors were kicked open. Soldiers stomped in with their rifles. **

**            " Freeze!"   
            Shadow looked over at them in horror and then at his friend. **

**            " You can't have him!" **

**            A movement. Time slowed down for the black hedgehog. Loud noises were heard sporadically, followed by streams of red flickering into the air. His jaw dropped a little. Long chestnut hair twirled amongst the red as it descended toward the floor. Her hand slid down off the control panel and plopped against the ground, splashing blood up from the ever growing pool. His vision began to get blurry as water filled his large eyes. **

**            " No…"**

**            Her bright blue eyes. Once full of life and happiness, were now staring at him. Cold and empty. Nothing was there anymore. Just gore. He felt like he should throw up. Fists pounded against the wall of the tube as he stared at the lifeless body on the other side. _I… _His stomach started disagreeing with him this time and he retched. Now there was a warm pile of breakfast next to his shoes, with his hands on both sides of it. He wasn't looking at it though. His eyes were fixed on the corpse and those eyes.   
            They would haunt him forever.**

***** **

**            His eyes opened again, letting the stinging liquid in. He regretted it and closed them again. _Maria…I'm still sorry I couldn't help you… _Shadow stared cursing the tube down his throat again. _I hate this fucking thing… ergh… I wish at least if they HAD to use this tube for feeding, they'd at least FEED me more… _Suddenly he felt bubbles rising faster around him. _Nani? _His body began to sink a little until his feet where on the floor of the tube. Shadow moved his arms slightly to feel if they were going to work for him or not. Sure enough, they did._ Hot damn! _The water slowly drained from around him and as soon as he could, Shadow started trying to remove the mask and tube from his face. The glass lifted and hands gripped his arms gently, which surprised the hedgehog. Two women were holding him, wearing white lab coats like everyone else had been. One of them smiled a little. **

**            " Here. Let us help you with that." **

**            Shadow didn't trust them, but so far they hadn't hurt him, so he remained still and listened to the attendants as they told him what to do as they removed the sensors and other equipment from his body. He gagged as they helped take the feeding tube out of his mouth, nearly causing him to throw up what little nutrition he had in his body as it was. One of the attendants apologized for it. He eyed her. **

**            " Why are you letting me out?" He asked.**

**            " Well… we were instructed to bring you to the training area."**

**            " Not afraid that I'll kick the shit out of you and run away?"**

**            " We were also told that you wouldn't do that because the project still has your friend." **

**            _Shit. They have a point. Damn them and forcing me to cooperate… _He held his hands up a little, in a gesture of accepting his fate.   
            " Okay okay… just show me where I need to go."  
            " Follow me." The first woman started off toward the door. **

**            The hedgehog nodded and did as he was told, being pursued by the second woman. He paid no attention to her and glanced to his left, where the tube that he was in was. There was another stasis tube next to it, but he could not see into it due to the condensation on the outside of the tube. _I wonder… Sonic's probably in that one… _He stored that into his memory and continued to observe his surroundings as they continued on. _This might work out to my advantage… I can scope out the perimeter and plan out our escape… Yes…_**

**            They continued out of the room and turned to the left, walking down the hall slowly. Shadow noted the security bots standing on their posts, mentally recording that information as well, and proceeded on. At the end of the hall, there were two elevators; one to the left and one to the right. He glanced up at the ventilation duct that was on the unused wall. _Hmm… that might be useful. _**

**            " This way please." The leading woman said, entering one of the elevators. **

**            He nodded and entered, followed by the other woman. After a button was pushed, the elevator started descending, stopping two floors down from the one they had been on. The doors opened and Shadow glanced around. The entire floor was basically an open arena; nothing else was there, except for a screen on the wall. **

**            " Um…" Shadow started, confused. **

**            " This is it." **

**            " I see…" He stepped out of the elevator and looked around.   
            " Ah, so he came of his own free will." A familiar voice started. **

**            Shadow felt his eyes slant slightly. **

**            " _You_…" His voice was chilling now. **

**            The leader of the project smirked as he appeared on the screen. **

**            " Oh come now, Shadow. If you would only just do as I ask, half of your pain would be spared."**

**            " I'm sure…what is it THIS time…?" The hedgehog scowled.**

**            " We're going to test your physical abilities." **

**            " Like…?"**

**            " Simple aerobics and other things like that. We do not need the information on 'Chaos Control' since we obtained that from you already."**

**            " So what do you want me to do and how long is this going to take?"**

**            " Allow the attendants to apply the sensors and the course will begin. How long…well… that depends on your will to live."**

**            He didn't like the sound of that. Shadow made a face as the two women began applying the same sensors to his fur. There were no wires though, so the white little patches merely stuck to his black fur and cream skin. Once they were finished, the two attendants entered the elevator again and disappeared from the floor. Shadow turned his attention back to the screen.   
            " Whaddya mean 'my will to live'…?" He glared at the leader. **

**            The man smirked and pushed a button on an unseen panel. Shadow wobbled a little, going wide eyed as he felt the floor moving. **

**            " What the hell?!"   
            The obstacles were appearing now, from the floor and the ceiling. Even the walls opened up and produced weapons and cameras. Shadow felt his face pale a little. _It's a fucking deathtrap…_**

**            " Exactly what I said. How long the course takes depends on how long you can stay alive."**

**            " Jesu—YI!" Shadow jumped as a laser shot at the spot where he was standing. **

**            " I suggest you get moving."**

**            _Don't need to tell me twice, fucker… _He thought as he darted in a zigzag pattern around the room, trying to dodge the lasers. Floorboards moved and new obstacles were produces, such as a vaulting horse and aerobic rings from the ceiling to grab onto. _You gotta be kidding me…_ Another shot zipped past his head, singing some of his fur. **

**            " HOLY SHIT!" **

*****   
            Rouge sat on the edge of cliff near Tails' workshop, watching the sun over the horizon. _Not too much longer… then we can depart for GUN Labs… _The white bat looked back at the workshop. _I wonder how the boys are doing with modifying the Tornado… _Her ears flickered a little bit. _I don't hear them tinkering anymore…_ She jumped a little when the garage door opened.   
            " Ta-da!" Tails cried from inside the plane. **

**            " Hey Rouge!" The red echidna called, waving a little from his seat in the back of the plane. **

**            The female treasure got to her feet and looked at the blue with yellow stripes biplane. It didn't look that much different from its usual form. It was the same biplane, with two compartments for passengers. She raised her eyebrow.**

**            " What did you two do to it?"**

**            " Changed another mode and uploaded the compatibility matrix for the Tornado to be able to accept the GUN information from disk." The small mechanic said, smiling. **

**            " And that took you all this time to do just that?"**

**            " Hey!" Knuckles cried, standing up from the back passenger seat, gripping the tail as he put his foot on the plane. " I didn't see YOU helping us rebuild the new mode and do all the server checks!"**

**            " Oh pipe down!" Rouge folded her arms. **

**            Tails grinned a little, resisting making a comment about the two in Sonic's absence, then found himself frowning. He shook his head and looked at Rouge. **

**            " When are we setting out?"**

**            " I'm going to do a quick double-check of the system and then I'll give you the data. Upload it to the Tornado and then once it's accepted, then we'll head toward GUN Labs."**

**            " Okay." **

**            Knuckles nodded and hopped out of the biplane as the fox turned it off. The blades slowly stopped moving, coming to a halt and quieting completely. The bat nodded at the two of them as she continued back to the house and disappeared into the doorway. **

**            " Should we go help her?"  
            The Guardian folded his arms again. " What do you think?"  
            A snicker. " Of course not…" **

**            They looked on toward the horizon at the sinking sun. Swirls of red and orange blended in with depleting yellow. The yellow, in turn, had begun mixing with the blue of night descending upon them, turning a strip of the sky a lush green. Everything seemed peaceful right then and there and for a moment, both of them forgot about their mission and relaxed, only to be reminded of it a short time later. _Soon we will be off to save them… _Knuckles tightened a fist. _Sonic… Shadows… hang on. We'll save you guys…_**

***** **

**            _SHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT!!!!! _He dodged another round of fire and landed on a patch of the floor, which stared moving. _Now what the fuck?! _The black hedgehog looked to see water. _A pool?! _Lasers zipped for him, forcing the hedgehog backwards.   
            " Wha—ACK!!!!!!" **

**            A splash was heard and Shadow was now in the pool that had formed from the floor. Yet the lasers had not stopped their assault on him. _Son of a bitch! _He knew he wasn't the best swimmer in the world but he couldn't let himself be stopped because of it. Using powerful strokes, Shadow kept himself underwater and swam for the far end of the pool that he was in. It sickened him to know that this was just the GUN scientists way of testing his abilities and to gather information, but to keep Sonic out of harms way in exchange for it, he was willing to execute the tasks that the bastards wanted him to do. The attacks just kept coming, sliding through the water with no problem. Each time the laser fire was getting closer and closer to his flesh. Shadow growled a little underwater, releasing some air from his mouth, which traveled to the surface in a small dance of bubbles. He turned downward a little, arching his back as he kicked hard. Heading for the bottom of the pool, the black hedgehog braced his feet against the floor of it. _Wait for it…_ **

**            Two shots from a laser gun entered the pool, heading straight for him. _One…two… three! _He moved slightly, letting the lasers miss him just by mere increments. Pushing off of the floor with his feet, Shadow launched himself for the surface. Water splashed up around him as he found himself slightly airborne after breaking the exterior of it. _I only have mere moments before those fucking lasers start shooting at me again…_ In a split second, Shadow managed to will himself forward by rolling up into a ball, and jump-dashing to the side of the pool. Landing softly, he knelt down for a breather, letting the water from his quills slide down and band around him. **

**            The man on the screen looked pleased. **

**            " Status." **

**            One of his lackeys scurried over to one of the computers. **

**            " Vital signs are good… It's amazing at how long he's been doing this…"**

**            " The Ultimate Life Form SHOULD be able to handle situations like this."**

**            " Stamina isn't wavering yet, sir. He's tiring a little, but not that much. We expected him to be half drained by now. It's not even a fourth yet."**

**            The man smiled and nodded. " Continue gathering information. I want to compare it to the other's statistics as well." **

**            " Sir?"**

**            He glanced over at the attendant. " What? You've seen the connection."**

**            " Well, yes, sir…"**

**            " Then don't bitch about it. Continue your work."**

**            " Aye, sir."**

**            _How long have I been doing this? _Shadow thought as he continued to rest for a moment. _It feels like I've been running around for hours…I mean, I'm not winded or anything but I don't see the point in making me do this for hours on end…_ His thoughts were interrupted by gunfire. _Damn it! _The hedgehog rolled away, then pushed off with one leg to sprint forward, breaking out into a run quickly. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed panels moving from the wall. _Now what? _New guns emerged from their place and promptly spewed fire at him. He felt his eyes widen as he dropped to the floor, pressing himself against it as hard as he could. The lines of flame passed directly over him, singeing the tips of his exposed quills. Shadow winced a little and waited until the flamethrowers stopped firing before making his move. _I can dodge the lasers with no problem, but fire and myself never did get along that well…Now to take those guns out before they start firing on me again._**

**            He headed straight for the two guns, which were still locking on him, but were not ready to fire just yet. _I have to time this just right or else I'm a crispy hedgehog…_ Shadow started running in a zigzag motion now, just to double check that they were still locked on him. Both guns followed his movements and began to hum again. _Crap…got to hurry…_ He zipped toward the one on the right, charging right for it. The hum got louder and louder as he approached it. _Three…two…one…GO! _Shadow jumped and curled up into a ball, smashing into the gun at top speed, hoping to shatter its protective casing. The shell cracked, exposing wiring, but the gun continued to follow him. Luckily for Shadow, bouncing off of the gun caused him to head toward the second gun, bypassing it as the right gun charged and fired. The hedgehog dropped to the floor, as the left gun was destroyed by the right one, which in turn, was destroyed in itself when the wiring caught fire from not having its shell anymore. Shadow rolled away from the two small explosions, stopping and looking up at the flaming debris. _I'm surprised that worked so well…_**

**            There was another sound. _Lovely…now what? _The lightly singed hedgehog turned to see robots entering the arena now. His eyes widened slightly. **

**            " Oh…shit…"**

***** **

**            The sun had set a long time ago. A lonely rock was just sitting in the grass, minding its own business. Until the kitsune picked it up and hurdled the poor rock to its death over the side of the cliff. Then again, rocks aren't alive to begin with, so it merely joined many of its kin at the bottom of the sea after hitting the water with a soft plunk. **

**            " It's been awhile…"**

**            The Guardian sat up from his lying down position on the ground. **

**            " I'm going to go check on her…"**

**            " Don't bother." Rouge's snippy tongue got to him first.**

**            Tails sat up as well. " Well, we weren't sure if…"**

**            " I had a little problem with the Database. That's all."**

**            " I thought you had a backdoor into that…"**

**            " I did. I was trying to find the EXACT location that Shadow and Sonic are being kept. When I tried to access the information, the Database locked me out. Everything's protected."**

**            Knuckles frowned. " Well that's not good… we're going in partially blind."**

**            " Basically. But we expected to do that…"**

**            He nodded and got to his feet, helping Tails up.**

**            " So we're off?"**

**            The bat held out a computer disk to the small fox. **

**            " This has the information on it. Upload it to the Tornado."**

**            " Yes'm!" He took the disk and ran for the plane, hopping into the cockpit and starting it up. **

**            The Tornado's engine rumbled to life as the propellers began to turn. Tails inserted the disk with the GUN information into the newly made drive on the console. He pushed a few buttons and eyed the screen in front of him. The information uploaded safely to the Tornado and displayed itself onto the screen. The small fox stood up and gave the two treasure hunters a thumbs up. **

**            " Looks like we're set." Knuckles placed his hands on his hips, glancing at Rouge.**

**            " Yup." She was checking her bag full of equipment.**

**            " Ready to go?"**

**            After a few more seconds of double checking everything, the bat nodded. They ran for the plane, and Knuckles helped Rouge up into the second passenger seat. She looked down at him. **

**            " What about you? There's not enough room in here for both of us…" **

**            Tails looked back at them. " She's right…"**

**            The echidna only grinned. Green eyes blinked at him. **

**            " What?"**

**            " There's plenty of room."**

**            " If you think that I'm going to squeeze in here…"**

**            He was already climbing up now. **

**            " Hey! I mean it, Knuckles!"**

**            " Oh stop bellyaching!" He climbed up and behind her, standing on the tail of the plane, holding onto the rudder with his massive hands. " I'll be fine right here. If I fall off, I'll just follow you."**

**            The fox kitsune stared at him as he was putting on his pilot glasses. **

**            " You sure you're going to be fine back there? With all the upgrades that we made to the Tornado…"**

**            Knuckles waved a hand at him. **

**            " Kid, I'll be fine. Now let's go. We don't have that much time before the GUN securities go down for the night."**

**            " He's right." Rouge piped up. " We have about a half hour's travel time to get there, which should put us right at eleven o'clock. It will be perfect timing!"**

**            " Okay!" Tails said, sliding the glasses down over his large innocent blue eyes. He flicked a few switches on the console and pushed another button. The plane started moving down the runway and toward the cliff. " Here we go!"**

**            The bright blue and yellow biplane started slowly down the runway, picking up speed as it headed for the take off point. They had gained a healthy amount of speed by the time the runway disappeared. Tails pulled on his controls, pulling the airplane up into the air, and directed it toward their destination.   
            " Next stop! GUN Labs!"**

***** **

**            It was too much. _You don't want to die…you DO NOT want to die…I can't give up. _Shadow ran amongst the hellish course, dodging laser fire from the guns mounted on the walls, and the fire from the GUN robots that the scientists had released after him. The hedgehog spin dashed through one of the scaling walls that had appeared, instead of actually scaling it, and continued on his unknown lap number around the arena. _This is getting to me… I don't know any way I can get out of this one…_Shadow mentally cursed and continued on his way, this time, jumping over moving platforms and dodging flamethrower fire again. _Fucking sadists…_ A robot had closed in on him and fired. _Bloody hell! _He rolled to escape taking a hit, but the robot kept coming after him. The hedgehog looked over his shoulder at his pursuer. _Aw man… get the hell away from me… just leave me the hell alone…just---WHOA!!!!!!!!! _**

**            Shadow skidded to a stop when he realized that the robot chasing him had been leading him toward a group of the GUN robots. He was too close to them, therefore their sensors were triggered and the group lumbered toward him, ready to attack. _FUCK!! _The robot behind him fired again, causing Shadow to jump away, and right into the fury of the other bots that surrounded him. **

**            " Oh sh—ARGH!!!!!!!!" He screamed as a shot ripped into his back. **

**            The hedgehog dropped to the ground, twitching and convulsing a little. Feeling was already disappearing as the robots loomed over him, aiming their pistols. _I'm going to die…_ There was a powering down noise as the robots seemed to stop their attack on him. Unable to move his limbs correctly, Shadow's eyes flickered back and forth, trying to find the reason why. The robots retreated, leaving him out in the open.**

**            " Did you really think that we'd just kill you off like that?" The bastard's voice sent a small shiver down the black hedgehog's spine.**

**            " What'd you expect me to believe? You've hurt me. You hurt Sonic. That's not exactly one of the top ten reasons to 'get people to trust you'…" Shadow snapped back, unable to see the man who caused him all this grief. **

**            " I suppose not. Anyway, you're not dying. The robots are equipped with stun guns. Feeling should come back soon. Mainly in your legs. Therefore, my assistants will help you back to your… 'bed'."**

**            _You mean the "Tube of burning acid"…_ Shadow felt some tingly sensation in his legs and soon he could kind of move them on his own again. Two men appeared from out of nowhere and helped him stand up. **

**            " Can you walk?"**

**            " I'll try…" Shadow said, somewhat cordially to the assistant. **

**            Both attendants were being gentle to him, therefore, he didn't snap at either of them. He knew that some of the scientists in this little group didn't want to hurt either Sonic or himself, due to their actions when the torture sessions had gone on, so he remained somewhat grateful in a sense. No one else had cared to somewhat mention the immorality of what was going on. Sure, no one had put a stop to it, but Shadow knew. He knew if they had tried to, they would have been killed. GUN had done the exact same thing to Maria when she had tried to stop them from taking him from ARK. **

**            He was lead back to the elevator and then into it. One of the assistants pushed the button that allowed them to travel back up to the floor from which they had first came. Shadow was starting to regain some of his mobility, so soon only one assistant needed to help him with walking. The other one started on ahead to prepare the tube for sustaining the hedgehog in suspended animation. Shortly after the walk down the hallway, Shadow was led back into the room where the tubes were. He noticed that the assistant that had run ahead was checking the vital signs of the tube next to the empty one that he had been in. _It's got to be Sonic in that one… It just has to be. _The grip on his arm got tighter. **

**            " We're going to have to put all the sensors back on you… and put the tube down your throat again…" **

**            " Yeah… I know…" Shadow said sullenly. **

**            " Stand here." The assistant told him as he let go of his arm and began to help his partner reattach the sensors to Shadow's body. **

**            The hedgehog, on the other hand, stood there, thinking as fast as he could. _I can't be shut away… I still have enough strength to take these guys on… since they stopped that damned program so soon due to those tricky robots…I still have like half of my stamina yet…_ The sensors were reattached and one of the attendants held up the feeding tube and the mask. **

**            " Okay… are you going to let us put this in or are we going to have to hold you down?" **

**            Shadow stared at him for a moment and smirked a little. The second man wrapped his arms around the hedgehog from behind, holding him still since he wasn't sure if he was going to cooperate or not. **

**            " Why don't I just say this…" Shadow started; his smile growing a little. " I won't let you put that _fucking _thing down my throat one more time if it was the last thing that I do!" **

**            With that said, the black hedgehog moved fast, and swiftly kicked the attendant in front of him in the groin, as hard as he could. The man yelped in pain and bent over, dropping the feeding tube on the floor. The man holding Shadow tried to restrain him but to no avail. The hedgehog, in his rage, managed to grab the guy's arm and flip him over his shoulder and onto the ground. A twist, scream and a kick to the face later, the second attendant was out cold. Shadow quickly knocked the first guy out and kicked him away from the tubes. He then set out with the removal of the sensors that they had strapped to his fur again, wincing here and there when he took them off. Once he was finished with that, the hedgehog looked up at the second tube. He walked up to it, looking at the console at the side of it. Sure enough, it had Sonic's name on the information. Shadow blinked a little and looked at the tube again. It was covered in condensation, so he could only make out a barely visible form behind it. Reaching up, the black hedgehog began to wipe at the glass with his gloved hand, so he could examine his friend before he let him out. His eyes widened as he got a good look and backpedaled a little, gasping. **

**            Sonic was floating in the middle of the tube, like Shadow had been at one time. Sensors covered his body, as well as the standard feeding tube down his throat and a mask around his face to help the hedgehog breathe. The hero's body had been deeply revenged. Chunks of flesh had been ripped away from his arms and legs and had not been tended to with bandages. Some of the wounds were still bleeding, causing little swirls of misty red to float up into the green water and slowly disappeared as mixed with the harsh chemicals. Cuts and gashes lined his skin but they appeared to be slowly healing. There was a gaping hole in the middle of Sonic's chest. Layers of his flesh had been peeled away as it appeared that someone stabbed him, almost as if they wanted to impale him right through his body. The blue hedgehog looked like he was in a lot of pain as the acidic water stung his non-bandaged tissue. **

**            Shadow's face paled instantly. _My…god… is this…what Sonic saw when…he saved me from here…? _His mind was reeling a little and he found himself on his hands and knees, throwing up what little nutrition he had in him. Coughing hard, Shadow wiped his mouth and slowly stood up. _I HAVE to get him out of there. _He raced over to the console that controlled the stasis tube and tried to unlock it. After pushing a few buttons, the hedgehog faced a problem. It needed a password to open. _Fuck! I don't have time to hack into this! _Panicking a little, Shadow looked around. _Okay…okay think… You need to get him out of there… there's no time to fuck around with the damn machine… and you know that the assistants will be missed soon… THINK DAMN YOU!!!! _He noticed a chair on wheels a few feet from them. _Wait… that's it! _He ran up to the chair, grabbing the back of it and lifting it up off the ground. With a turn, Shadow rushed back over to the stasis tube. _Just hang on, Sonikku!_ He pulled back, almost as if he was a baseball player getting ready to swing. _I'll get you out of there! _**

**            The chair went sailing against the glass tube. **

***** **

Sonic: ::jaw slack::  
Shadow: ….  
….What?  
Sonic: HOW COULD YOU LET THEM DO THAT TO ME?! I'M A HERO!  
I know.  
Sonic: But…but but…

Shadow: You just HAD to leave off there… DIDN'T YOU?!

^^ I told you. I knew where I wanted to leave off.   
  
^_^ Leave a review! Thanks a bunch!  
  
Sonic, Shadow and crew are copyright of SEGA! :) 


	11. Part 11

After months of nothing… I present to you…the next part of the story! So sorry for not getting this out sooner…I had a bit of trouble with writing and then there's all the college work and whatnot…especially finals when it was Finals week. ^_^ 

Sonic: It's about time!! You left off at a critical point in the story…! 

Shadow: That was the point…

^^ Suspense is good! Makes people want more… And by the looks of the reviews that I got, apparently people really really like this story a lot. ^_~ I appreciate it a lot. 

Sonic: You just like torturing us.

Nah… 

Enjoy! 

**            Time seemed to slow down. It was like watching everything in slow motion. The chair slammed against the glass with as much force as Shadow put into it. A crick from the tube was heard as the chair seemed to slowly descend. Cracking sounds quickly followed. The chair clattered against the floor as the tube exploded; shards of glass went everywhere. Shadow shielded his eyes as the water poured out, dragging his friend's limp body to the floor with it. An alert alarm went off as soon as the tube was destroyed, but Shadow's fist soon found the panel, destroying it quickly before the main alarms went off. The blue hedgehog flopped to the ground, shuddering. His body was racked with pain as the air bit into his untended flesh. Trails of blood flowed from his wounds, seeping onto the trickles of water that ran down his fur and onto the now wet floor. Shadow wasted no time in removing the sensors from his friend's body quickly, but also trying not to hurt Sonic any further. _Oh yeah, sure…like taking the tube out of him isn't going to hurt like a bitch… _A frown appeared slightly as he carefully took the mask off of Sonic's face, reaching for the tube. Sonic was very unresponsive to anything, even Shadow's touch barely caused any reaction. It was hard to tell if Sonic was just heavily drugged or so out of it that he wasn't going to be his normal arrogant self anytime soon. Shadow assumed the latter. _Just make it quick so Sonic doesn't have to be tormented anymore…_ He yanked the feeding tube out of his friend's mouth, causing him to jump and twitch a little bit. Shadow threw the hellish thing aside and turned Sonic over onto his side as he vomited. His green eyes flickered with a sign of life afterward. **

**            " Sonic? Can you hear me…?"**

**            A small nod came from the hero. He could barely talk but his senses were starting to come back to him, very slowly. **

**            " Don't worry. I'm going to get you out of here…"**

**            It was safe to assume that the azure one was not going to be able to walk on his own, although he tried to use his legs when Shadow had him somewhat stand. His knees wobbled and he almost fell again, but Shadow held his arms, holding him up. _This is going to be tricky… I don't want to have to drag him…_ Shadow's only option was to carry Sonic. He seemed to protest, being his stubborn self, but Shadow wouldn't let Sonic weasel his way out of this one. He did, however, give him a choice of being cradled or being on Shadow's back as he ran. Sonic instantly went to the piggyback idea, since he felt incredibly weak and helpless whenever he was carried around when he was hurt. Knuckles had to do it often when the arrogant hedgehog would push himself to the limit too much when they trained together. The guardian was always bringing the battered hedgehog home like that. Sonic didn't like fact that it made him look so weak, so he managed to convince Shadow into letting him hang onto his back. Shadow didn't seem exactly keen on that idea, even though he did offer it to his friend, for he was worried that the GUN officials would fire upon them whenever they did get to running around. _I really don't want Sonic getting hit by some stray laser fire or something…but I suppose this is the way it's going to have to be. _**

**            " Are you sure you're going to be able to hang onto me while I'm running?" Shadow asked as Sonic's arms went around his neck as he helped him onto his back. **

**            " Yeah, if I slip or something, you can just grab my hand…" Sonic's voice was still very soft and hard to hear, due to the ripped skin inside of his throat because of the feeding tube. His chin rested on one of Shadow's shoulders, looking at his friend with half lidded eyes. " Right…?"   
            " Right…" He looked at his friend for a moment, then turned his vision back to the path in front of them. " Just be sure to hang on… I'm sure the main alarms are going to go off soon…" Shadow started off and out of the room, being careful to look for GUN security.   
            " This seems…familiar…" Sonic chuckled a little bit. **

**            A small smirk appeared on Shadow's face as he nodded slightly. It was true that it was familiar, only that when the tables were turned, Sonic had just carried Shadow since he was so out of it. He wondered if he would be able to use that elevator to get out of the building, but it was very unlikely. **

**            " Sonic, when you rescued me from here… which way did you take? The elevator is not an option really…" **

**            The weakened hedgehog coughed a little bit and nodded. **

**            " Yeah… we're on one of the top floors…so I got you out from the vents…kind of clichéd, isn't it?"**

**            Shadow's smirk grew slightly. **

**            " Perhaps… which way though? I'm afraid I don't know much about the building."**

**            " There's a vent…right near the elevators… that's the one I used…but…"**

**            " But what?"**

**            " I'm not sure if…you'd be able to run down the side of the building…like I did when I got you out of here…"**

**            _So the vent leads straight to the outside of the building…_ A small nod.   
            " I'll make do… First, I have to get you to the vent and out of here."**

**            " I'll…be able to tell you which way we have…to go once we're in the ventilation system…"**

**            " That's fine. Just try to rest up as best as you can." **

**            Shadow quickly looked about the lab that the two of them were in, just in case he found something that he might be able to use in order to defend themselves from GUN staff and robots. Unfortunately there appeared to be nothing. _Hmm…_**

**            " You're able to hang onto me by yourself, right?"**

**            " Uh…huh…" Sonic tightened his grip a little for example.   
            " Okay, good." The hedgehog grabbed the large fire extinguisher that was attached to the wall. " Just in case." He headed for the door, slowly, waiting for it to open when he approached it like all the other doors did. It swung open quietly, allowing Shadow to peek out into the hallway. Glance to the right. Glance to the left. There was no sign of any form of GUN official. _Hot damn!_ Still carrying the fire extinguisher, Shadow slowly moved out into the hallway, with Sonic clinging to his back, and headed to the left where the elevators were. _It's a good thing that I was able to shut off that alarm before it triggered the main ones…or else this place would be swarming with more GUN officers…_ Red alarms started flashing, casting their light everywhere. Shadow jumped a little, feeling Sonic do the same. _What the fuck!? I swear it's like someone hates me up there…!!! _**

**            " Hang on." **

**            " Right…"**

**            Shadow took off for the area with the elevators, which was just around the corner. Sure enough, the vent was there where Sonic said it would be, but it was quite high off the ground. _Oh great… I don't have enough space to make a running spindash up there…let alone that wouldn't be good for Sonikku in any way…Shit. What do I do…? Sonic's not strong enough to open it…but I think that's the only way…Damnit…_**

**            " You wouldn't be able to stand on my shoulders… would you?"**

**            " I could try… but I'm not sure…" Sonic said weakly.**

**            _What the hell am I thinking? Of course he wouldn't be able to…he couldn't stand before…_**

**            " How'd you get out before…?"**

**            " Spindash…"**

**            " Doing that now would hurt you more."**

**            " Most likely…" **

**            _Gah! So fucked over…We don't have time for this…_Shadow sighed a little.**

**            " I knew I should have taken that damn chair…"**

**            Sonic chuckled a little. **

**            " Just spindash and get up there… I'm sure you could break it…"**

**            " I'm not going to do that. You're already hurt enough as it is."**

**            " We still need…to get out of…here, Shadow…Just do it."**

**            " …No. I'll figure something else out…"**

**            " Damn it…Shadow…come on…we're gonna get caught…again…"**

**            " Over my dead bod---?!"**

**            The black hedgehog was cut off as the left elevator door opened, with GUN personnel ready to try and capture them again. **

**            " There they are!" One said, pointing. " Subdue them!!" **

**            " Shadow…!" **

**            " Fuck off!!" **

**            Shadow pulled the pin on the fire extinguisher, aimed it, and fired the white chemicals at the personnel. The officers were pushed back slightly in surprise, falling over each other as they were covered with the slippery substance. **

**            " MY EYES!!" One screamed, his hands groping at his face. **

**            " Stop them before they get away…!"**

**            Running his hands down every button on the elevator panel, Shadow quickly ducked out of the elevator before the doors closed. Sonic whistled quietly.**

**            " That was…a good move…"**

**            " I hope they have fun riding it to every floor…" He frowned slightly. " But this leaves us right back where we were…"**

**            " Just…spindash…and let's get out of here…" **

**            The hedgehog shook his head.**

**            " I'll just run back to the room and get the chair…" **

**            " There's no…time for that, Shadow…"**

**            " I'm not going to let you get hurt any further, Sonikku."**

**            The blue hedgehog blinked a little bit, almost in disbelief. _Why would… he… I mean, he never seemed to care before…_ **

**            " Okay…Shadow…whatever you say…"**

**            It was Shadow's turn to be surprised. Sonic never gave up that easily when it came to arguments. He was as stubborn as they came, and Shadow always knew this. _Perhaps it's because we don't have any other options…_ He turned to race back to the room when he heard the right elevator ding. _Oh shit! _**

**            " Sha---!" Sonic blinked a little as Shadow covered his mouth and zipped back down toward the hall, turning a corner and bent down. He set Sonic down on the floor behind a few canisters. " Shadow…what are you…?"**

**            " Shush." He said in a hissing tone. " I'm going to deal with them. Stay here…" **

**            " But Shadow…" **

**            He ignored Sonic's words as he re-entered the hall, stopping and waiting to see who or what had come out of hiding. His ears flicked a little bit as he waited, gripping the fire extinguisher tightly. Three GUN robots stomped out from the elevators, slowly. Their sensors were flicking about, trying to get a readout on the two escaped prisoners. Each focused on Shadow, pausing, almost if they were waiting for their next commands. They appeared to be very similar to the robots from the testing area, so Shadow had an idea on how their patterns were, as well as that he had to steer clear of their blasters. The energy charges from the blasters stunned opponents, leaving them open to a pitiful death or capture, as Shadow had learned before when he was writhing on the floor. He waited for one of them to make the first move. Electronic eyes flickered about, looking for Sonic. _Please don't let them be able to see through walls…_ The whirring noise from the sensors stopped as all three robots focused on Shadow again. _Here we go…_**

**            Shots rang out, startling Sonic in his hiding place. He watched as the blasts hit the wall, dispersing in magnificent bursts of light. Shadow was on the move, dodging shots and zigzagging his way toward the trio of bots. Racing through a gap in the line, Shadow caused two robots to fire onto themselves, causing them to malfunction and stop with their pursuit of him. He grinned a little bit, kicking both of them to make sure that they wouldn't be able to fire at him again. The red electronic eyes flickered and soon died as the hum of mechanical life diminished. _That was easier than I thought…_The last robot had stopped firing, waiting for its commands of what to do next. Its mechanical eye flickered about again, scanning the area for where Shadow was, then fired again. The hedgehog easily dodged the fire, jumping to the side and then upward a little. He raised the fire extinguisher over his head and brought it smashing down onto the robot's head, denting it severely. Electricity crackled from the top of the robot's head, causing smoke to come from the cracks in its metal frame. Soon, it too fell over, shutting down. **

**            Shadow was panting a little bit, still holding the now dented fire extinguisher in his right hand. He looked about at the robots and then at the right elevator door. _Hmm…_The hedgehog hit the down button to it, which caused the doors to open again. _Good…It wasn't called back down in order for more GUN toys to be sent up at us…_He set forth in making sure that the elevator would not be going down anytime soon by pushing one of the offline robots **

**into it halfway, but he did not enter it himself. _I'm not sure if they have cameras in the elevators…and I don't want to risk letting them know that I've dealt with the robots already… _The doors could not close and therefore, the elevator was not going down any time soon. Shadow smirked a little as the door tried to close, only to hit the robot and open again. He turned and looked at the other robots. _Looks like I don't have to go and get that chair after all…_Setting forth on the new task, Shadow dragged one of the offline robots to the wall where the vent was. Once it was there, he went to the other one and proceeded to drag it over to the one next to the wall. After a few minutes of carefully stacking, Shadow tested the robot pile to make sure that he could reach the vent. _Alright! Now I just need to get this vent cover off and we are out of here…! _**

**            CRUNCH.**

**            Crimson eyes blinked. _What the hell was that?!_ He looked over his shoulder toward the other hall. His eyes scanned his surroundings, finding nothing. Sonic was looking about himself, trying to figure out what it was, since he had figured out that there had only been three robots now that the chaos had calmed. The azure one stayed quiet though, unsure if he should call out to Shadow or not, just in case. Shadow looked down at the robot pile that he had made. _My weight shouldn't be that heavy to make that loud of a noise…_ His eyes went to the left elevator. _They couldn't possibly be back already…_His ears flickered about. _I know I heard that noise…but where did it come from…?_**

**            It was then that he had glanced at the right elevator…and noticed the huge footprint that had formed on the fallen robot's chest. _Nani?! _He blinked a little as he heard another resonating sound just a few feet away from him. _OH SHIT! _Something grabbed his throat, causing him to gasp and grip at the invisible attacker. His feet were suddenly not touching anything as he was lifted up, gagging, into the air. _Can't…breathe…!_ His hands clawed at the grasp and soon he saw the opposite wall swarming up to greet him. Stars flooded his vision as he was slammed into the wall; his body flailing. Shadow coughed a little as he felt a warm trickle run down the side of his head and felt the attacker pulling back in order to smash him against the wall again. Soon after a few rounds of the bashings, Shadow was lifted up into the air again, putting strain on his airway again. Blood was running down his head in many little rivulets of sanguine. He groaned loudly; his grip on the invisible grasp at his throat was greatly weakened. Shadow blinked a little and found himself airborne. The grip was gone and he barely saw the blackened wall coming up to meet him before he collided with it. He landed with a whump on the floor, trembling slightly as he tried to force himself to get up again. The hedgehog could just barely hear his friend calling to him. The ringing in his ears and the spinning world was not helping him whatsoever. **

**            " Shadow…! Are you okay…?!" Sonic's voice seemed far away to Shadow. **

**            " Shut…up…or else it'll find you too…" He said weakly, straining to get up again. **

**            Sonic looked over the canisters to try and see down the hall. He could hear the attacking thing moving, but couldn't see it. _GUN must have come up with some sort of cloaking device…_His ears twitched a little as he heard it getting closer to Shadow. **

**            " Get away…or it'll pummel you again…!" **

**            " B-better me than you." Shadow said defiantly, standing up on weak legs. **

**            Emerald eyes widened a little. _Shadow…_ Sonic's ears flickered about as he tried to determine where the thing was in comparison to Shadow, and started pushing on the canisters next to him. Shadow's own ears caught the noise that Sonic was making.**

**            "…What are you doing?!" It took almost all of his strength not to look at his comrade and acknowledge his presence to the attacker. **

**            " Helping…your….stubborn ass!" **

**            Sonic pushed as hard as he could on the canisters, sending them toppling over and into the hall. A few rolled, where one or two of them bounced, hitting whatever it was that was attacking Shadow. A shield flickered, showing off a huge robot, with strong looking plates over its frame. It turned slightly, looking at where the canisters had come from, and spotted Sonic, now that he was out in the open. _Oh shit._ The robot's cloaking shield reestablished itself and was soon gone from both hedgehogs' view. Shadow cursed now that Sonic was easy prey to the invisible robot but he had an idea. _If that fire extinguisher is still usable…I can cover it with foam and then I'll know where to attack! _**

**            Easier said than done. The second Shadow moved, he was sideswiped into the floor, skittering across it and back into the wall that he had just been thrown into. Sonic couldn't help him at all, since he still couldn't walk on his own as it was. Shadow heard the stomping noise of the robot coming up to him. _Shit…I'm in trouble now…_ He winced a little, awaiting his fate. **

**            Clang! **

**            The vent cover went clattering to the ground. Sonic looked around the corner, only to see a hint of red come flying into the hall. There was a loud screeching sound as the robot came into view again. Its shield appeared to be damaged as it fizzled and crackled, and slowly disappeared, showing the whole robot. **

**            " Not so tough now that we can see you, eh?!" **

**            Sonic blinked. **

**            " Knuckles!" **

**            The Guardian grinned a little, sporting his sunglasses over his eyes as he lifted his fists again. He braced his feet a little bit. Shadow blinked a little as he saw Rouge hop out of the vent that they were trying to escape in. She too was wearing her scope, which allowed both her and Knuckles to see cloaked things. **

**            " Holy shit!" Her eyes widened a little bit at the new GUN robot. **

**            The robot was about three times the size of Knuckles was, so it was very close to touching the ceiling on its own. It was bulky, but appeared to be well reinforced with metal plating all over its body. Its sensors scanned the newcomers and viewed them as a threat, so it soon went into a new position of attack. This one looked like it was made to kill, unlike the beating mode that it had gone into with Shadow. Rouge's eyes slanted slightly.**

**            " Rouge, get Sonic and Shadow out of here… I'll deal with this creep."**

**            She blinked. **

**            " You're not going to be any match for that thing by yourself! Look at what it did to Shadow!" **

**            " And they're sitting ducks while we're sitting here arguing! Just do it, okay?!" **

**            _How dare you, you jerk! _The white bat moved a little to the side, waiting for Knuckles to make his move to distract the behemoth of a robot. He waited for a minute and sprinted forward as it moved to attack with a long swipe from its arm. He evaded it easily enough, slamming a fist into part of its shoulder, then jumping back before the other fist could hit him. Rouge took this opportunity to head past the robot toward Sonic. The robot was too busy dealing with the Guardian to notice her as she stopped next to the blue hedgehog. **

**            " Are you okay…?"**

**            " I've….had better days…." His arrogant smile was plastered on his face once more. **

**            Rouge couldn't help but smile a little herself. **

**            " Shadow, are you going to be---?"**

**            " Get Sonic out of here first. He's worse off than I am." Shadow interrupted. **

**            She nodded and scooped Sonic up in her arms. He groaned a little, whining about how weak he must look. She shushed him quietly and waited for her opportunity to dart past the robot again. Knuckles was doing the best he could to keep it busy, weaving and bobbing like the pro he was. She waited another moment until the robot's back was turned, then darted back toward the vent opening. _Normally, I'd just fly past it, but one would think that the sound of my wings might alarm it and bring attention to myself…_ She began to help Sonic into the ventilation duct, only to be swatted away like a fly. Sonic was already inside the vent as she went sailing into the wall, but he couldn't help but cry out in surprise. **

**            " Rouge!" Knuckles noticed her get hit by the robot, ducking the other arm and trying to pull off his uppercut move. **

**            Shadow saw her fly into the wall, but noted that she appeared to be okay, since she was already cursing up a storm as she rubbed her head. He forced himself to get up in order to do what little he could against their metallic foe. His ears picked up the noise of whirring, only for his eyes to catch the robot's arm reforming into another gun. _Oh shit!_ Knuckles saw it too and instantly knew who it was aiming at. He called to Rouge to get out of the way as he tried to tackle the robot at the knees to set it off balance. The crosshairs were still on Rouge though, keeping its aim on her even as she tried to get out of the way. **

**            Sonic could barely move as it was. He hated feeling helpless and knowing that his friends needed his help was driving him insane. _God damn it! I have to help them but I can't do a damn thing…! _Shadow looked around, noticing a small glass door in the wall, not to far away from him. _I wonder…_ Knuckles dodged another swipe as he heard the blaster charging, making another mental curse in his head. Rouge had attempted to get around the robot, but it had swiped at her with its gun arm, keeping her blocked from getting away. _Oh this is just great…I have to try to get out of the line of fire! _The bat dashed straight for the robot, in hopes that she could slide underneath its legs. A crack to her jaw sent her sprawling again. The Guardian saw her skid away and growled, trying to latch onto the arm so the robot would pay attention to him and get away from Rouge. It flung him into the opposite wall, causing stars to flood his vision temporarily. **

**            " Gak!" **

**            Rouge shook her head a little bit and rubbed her jaw.   
            " Knuckles, are you…!" **

**            " You guys have to get out of there!" Sonic called to them. "It's going to shoot you!" **

**            The white treasure hunter looked up and was practically staring down the end of the gun's barrel. She froze. _This model is too quick…I'll never be able to get away from it in time…_**

**            " Rouge!!" Knuckles cried, trying to get to his feet in hopes he could do something. **

**            There was a sound of shattering. The robot pulled backwards a little, almost as if it was in pain. Its shot went into the ceiling, taking out two of the lights and spraying glass down over Rouge. She quickly covered herself with her wings, trying to protect herself a little bit from the falling glass. Purple eyes flew to the robot, where Shadow was on top of it, raising an axe for its head.   
            " That is…NOT…how you…treat a LADY!" **

**            He brought the axe crashing down onto the robot's face, shattering its eye and frying circuits. The hedgehog left the axe buried in its head as he jumped off of it before it crashed onto the floor, landing near Rouge, who was uncovering herself with her wings. Knuckles was at their sides, double checking that they were alright. **

**            " I'm fine." Shadow said, his blood drying on his face by now. " Are you two okay?"**

**            The Guardian had extended a hand to help Rouge up. She almost swatted it away, but took it at the last minute for him to help her up. **

**            " I'm alright…" She said quietly. **

**            Knuckles did not say anything that pertained to his injures. " We need to get out of here, now." **

**            " Agreed."**

**            " Shadow, are you going to be able to move through those vents?"**

**            The ebony hedgehog nodded. **

**            " You'll have to help Sonic move then."**

**            " No problem." He was already trying to climb into the ventilation system after Sonic. **

**            Rouge blinked a little, almost in disbelief. _Did I just hear that out of his lips…? _**

**            " Ladies first." Knuckles piped up, after he heard Sonic and Shadow on their way through the vents. **

**            She felt a little heat go to her face. **

**            " Oh no, you can go first." **

**            " Something wrong…?" His grin and the tone of his voice were teasingly familiar. **

**            Her eyes slanted at him.   
            " Just go, Guardian! Or do I have to give you a good kick to the ass?!"**

**            He held up his hands a little. **

**            " Okay okay! I'm going…" And he was soon up and in the vents, making his way back out. **

**            The white bat waited for a moment, then followed quietly, trying to hide her blush that was appearing on her face by now. **

***** **

**            Tails was still waiting in the cockpit of the Tornado, worried beyond belief. He had to do rounds around the building, or else the security sensors would pick his craft up and possibly shoot it down. The small fox was in a hover mode next to the vent where Knuckles and Rouge had disappeared into, waiting. He looked at his watch. _They've been gone a long time… I hope they're okay…_ A tattered gloved hand grabbed a hold of the side of the vent opening. The small boy looked up at it, moving the Tornado closer a little. **

**            " Guys?" **

**            " You don't know…how happy I am to… see you, little guy…" Sonic's weak voice said as he pulled himself up to the vent opening. **

**            " Sonic!" **

**            Shadow popped his head into view. He had one hand on Sonic's shoulder. **

**            " You have no idea how heavy you get after dragging you through those vents…" **

**            " Shut…up." Sonic said, with a small chuckle. **

**            Tails moved the Tornado closer to the building. **

**            " Are you guys going to be able to get into the biplane?"**

**            " Not without… some more help…" **

**            The black hedgehog crawled over Sonic and quickly pushed off of the edge of the vent. He grabbed a hold of the tail of the Tornado, bracing his feet on the back of it as he reached out for Sonic's arm. After a few minutes of careful navigation, both hedgehogs were stuck in the back of the biplane. **

**            " Ow…watch where your quills are going!" **

**            " You shouldn't have… shoved me in here then…!"**

**            " I see you two are getting along fine." Knuckles said as he jumped from the vent and glided upwards slightly.**

**            " Where's Miss Rouge?" Tails asked.**

**            " Right here, scout." The bat said as she swung out and buried her claws into the side of the building. **

**            The Guardian eyed her a little bit and then nodded at Tails. **

**            " Get going, kid. We'll be right behind you." **

**            " Aye aye!" Tails said, beaming a little that they had helped Sonic and Shadow out. **

**            The fox pulled a little on the controls, to get the Tornado away from the wall before turning it away from the building. He pushed a few buttons on the console and flew off, ascending high into the clouds so the GUN security sensors wouldn't know which direction they were going. Knuckles smiled a little and looked at Rouge, who was still clinging to the wall. **

**            " Coming?" **

**            " Well…"**

**            He blinked a little. **

**            " What's the matter?"**

Shadow: Thank god, we got out of there…

Sonic: Is that it? 

Of course not! ^_^ There's still more to come. 

Sonic: Nani?! ::whines:: But…when is this story gonna be over???

Shadow: She's a novel writer…you should know this by the other 30+ fanfictions that she has written over the years…

Sonic: ¬¬; Yeah well, she never got this much praise about them until she put YOU into one…

O_o; Well, yes this is the first story I ever wrote with Shadow in it…

Shadow: Exactly. And people like it more than her other ones because I'm better than you. ::grins at Sonic::

Sonic: ::sputters:: What?! How dare you! 

o.o; Oh dear… ::sounds of fighting are heard:: ^^; Anyway, please tell me what you think and I should be writing more soon….(hopefully…@.@;;;) Thanks for sticking by me though with all of your praises. ^_^ It helps me out a lot to know that there are people who like reading my work…

Shadow: Take that, bitch!

Sonic: OW!!! WHY YOU---!

…Um, don't mind them. ^^;;;;; 


	12. Part 12

  
@v@ It's here! The twelve part of my popular fiction…I wrote more than half of it today! I'm very sorry it took so long though. College is very busy and hectic… :3

  
Sonic: …It's about time! You have people salivating all over themselves you know…

Shadow: This is true…  
  
. That means nothing…  
  
Sonic: Sadist.  
  
Shadow: Evil redhead.   
  
Oh hush… Or I might just have to write a shounen ai fiction with you two for Sonic no Miko!  
  
Both: o_____________o You…wouldn't….dare…..  
  
::grins evilly::  
  
To my semi-obsessed fans: Enjoy. 

---   
  
****

**            The Tornado slowly descended down toward Tails' workshop, landing on the runway and slowly coming to a halt in front of the garage doors. The small fox turned off the engines and quickly turned around in the cockpit. **

**            " You two okay?" He asked, his eyes full of worry. **

**            Shadow was holding Sonic upright. The hero's head was slumped forward and his body seemed limp, almost completely devoid of life. Tails' face paled. **

**            " Don't worry. He just fainted…I'm surprised that he didn't do it earlier."**

**            Tails seemed to breathe a little sigh of relief. Shadow tried to give him a small reassuring smile. The small boy took a hold on Sonic, cupping his hands under his older friend's arms, and hovered up from the Tornado in order to get him out of it. He looked at Shadow for a moment. A hand waved him off. **

**            " I'll be fine. Get inside and help him. I'll be in soon." **

**            The fox nodded and flew toward the door with his friend. Shadow's crimson eyes watched him closely until the small boy had disappeared into the workshop with Sonic. As soon as he was gone, the hedgehog laid back, resting his head on the back of the seat. His quills bent back as he did so, pointing his nose toward the sky. His eyes closed for a moment, then slowly opened, looking up at the lightening atmosphere above him. The crest of dawn was showing its ever slowly succession against the dark blue-black heavens, full of little blips of white lights that seemed to fade away. Black dipped into blue, which in turn began to dip into lighter shades of purple and lavender. Red scanned the skies. **

**            _I wonder…if she ever…_ A flash of blue. The haunting blue. His hand went to his temple. He tried not to think about it. _I couldn't save her. I have to face that fact…she's dead and gone…_He closed his eyes. _I wish I could have…_His eyes opened again. Lavender had taken over more of the sky by now. _Daybreak is coming…_ A hand gripped at the edge of the Tornado as he pulled himself up a little. He blinked a little bit and hopped out of the biplane and headed for the workshop. **

**            Soon, Shadow was leaning against the doorframe of the main door, looking around. He wondered where Tails had brought Sonic and started heading toward the fellow hedgehog's room. The small mechanic quickly ran out, practically running into Shadow. **

**            " Oof!" **

**            The black hedgehog's hands grabbed at his shoulders gently to stabilize him. He noticed that the small fox was holding a first aid kit.**

**            " Sorry, Shadow." Tails said quietly. **

**            " What's wrong? Has Sonic taken a turn for the worse?"**

**            " No, but I don't really know what else I should do. Miss Rouge usually knows what to do when it comes to dealing with the drugs or chemicals that GUN puts into people…" He looked away. **

**            A frown formed on Shadow's face. " You mean with what happened to me before."**

**            Tails nodded slightly. **

**            " I see."**

**            " I bandaged up Sonic's wounds but I don't know what else I should do and---" His eyes widened a little. " You're also hurt and I haven't helped you at all!"**

**            Shadow jumped a little at the boy's outburst, then chuckled quietly. **

**            " Sonic's a lot worse off than I am, Tails. Don't worry."**

**            " But you need medical attention too…"**

**            " I'll get it…just not right now." A hand gently rubbed the fox's head. **

**            Tails blinked a little, a little surprised at the motion. He didn't say anything though. **

**            " Shadow." Rouge's voice came from the doorway. **

**            He turned his head to face her. The bat walked into the workshop, followed by the Guardian, close behind her. **

**            " You should be in bed resting after that whole ordeal."**

**            " Worry about Sonic first."**

**            Her green eyes blinked a little and she tapped a foot. **

**            " You need to be helped as well."**

**            " Sonic's in worse condition than I a---"**

**            Rouge stomped a foot and headed over toward him. **

**            " YOU. BEDROOM. NOW!" **

**            Shadow felt himself backpedal slightly, eyes wide as Rouge loomed at him. Tails' ears folded back a little as Shadow's hand removed itself from his head. The bat's ears flicked wildly as her eyes clearly showed that she was not in the mood to argue. A light growl came from her as well. Shadow knew better than to try and win this argument. **

**            " Okay, okay!" He raised his hands up a little. **

**            All she did was point to a room for him to go rest in. He didn't waste any time dawdling and soon disappeared into it. Tails looked up slowly at the white bat.   
            " M-miss Rouge?"**

**            " Tails, be a dear and go bandage Shadow up, okay?" Her voice seemed to be sincere, but stern. **

**            He blinked a little and nodded, taking the small first aid kit that he had in his hands with him as he walked into the room that Shadow had fled to. Rouge's wings folded wings flexed slightly, almost as if she was going to open them as she let out a long exasperated sigh. Knuckles had been stifling his laughter well. **

**            " Remind me never to argue with you when it comes to injuries." **

**            She let out another sigh. " Please don't tease now…"**

**            He frowned. Rouge rubbed her temples a little.   
            " You're going to have to help me with Sonic…" **

**            " I know." The echidna nodded.**

**            " You saw that hole in him…I'm shocked…that he's even alive, much less able to somewhat walk and talk…" **

**            " You'd be surprised what he can live through." Knuckles said, heading for Sonic's room. **

***** **

**            " Damn that woman…"**

**            " Miss Rouge can be rather scary at times…"**

**            Shadow smiled slightly. **

**            " Tell me about it…ow!"**

**            " Sorry." Tails said, adjusting the bandage so it was snug but not so tight. " That should be the last one…" **

**            " Thanks, kid." He stretched a little, groaning. **

**            " You should take it easy…" **

**            " Yeah, I know. Rouge's most likely going to be giving me shot or something later anyway…" He sighed. **

**            " That's what she did the first time, although that wasn't pretty to watch either."**

**            The tension in the room seemed high to Shadow. Tails was obviously worried about Sonic and he knew it. It had to be hard to just sit on the sidelines. He knew what that was like and he knew that it was extremely painful. The first aid kit shut gently with a quiet snap, causing Shadow to blink once. **

**            " All done…" He said quietly, looking down at the floor.  **

**            It took a lot not to frown noticeably. His eyes trailed down to his hands. The tattered gloves were blackened and stained with dried blood and sweat. The blood taunted Shadow to remember. His mind flashed to the blood spray. Splattering against the glass that he was being protected by. It was almost like the branding splotches wanted to stain what little white fur he had. **

**             Shadow flinched and tried to push the memories back into his subconscious. _Not right now. I can't bear it right now. _Tails saw him flinch and saw him rubbing at his hands slightly. Thinking that there was another wound underneath the gloves, the small boy pulled at them gently. Shadow snapped back to his senses, giving him a questioning look.**

**            " What are you…?"**

**            Tails had pried his gloves off and set them onto the dresser nearby. He was inspecting Shadow's hands carefully, looking up when Shadow addressed him. **

**            " Oh…well, I saw you wringing your hands a little, and I figured that you might have had another injury that I didn't know about…"**

**            A small smile formed on the hedgehog's lips. **

**            " Nah, my hands are fine. Don't worry about it."**

**            A click. Soft cloth was being applied in one spot, where there had been a larger gash on the back of his hand, despite the rest of the tiny little scrapes. Shadow barely felt it at all and hadn't even noticed it.**

**            " Well, I found one."**

**            " Funny…I didn't even feel it."**

**            " Sometimes that happens…" **

**            The bandage was secured and Tails set about putting everything away in the first aid kit again. Shadow rubbed his bandaged hand and looked down at the little fox. He seemed intent on making sure that everything was placed back in its proper spots in the kit. A stray glance at the clock. _It was nearing dawn when I was sitting in the bi-plane…Poor little guy must be exhausted…_A soft yawn caught his attention. The young fox had tried to hide it.**

**            " You should probably rest. Miss Rouge will come by when she's done help---" **

**            The boy trailed off as a hand rested itself on top of his head again. Blinking, he looked up at Shadow, puzzled. The hedgehog didn't say anything. His fingers gently rubbed the top of the fox's head. Tails' muted blue eyes showed the sleepiness that was trying to take over.**

**            " You should get some sleep, kid…" Shadow's voice was gentle and not condescending. **

**            " But…I can't sleep now..." **

**            The petting stopped for a moment. Tails rubbed one of his eyes a little with one hand. Shadow wondered for a moment about how many times that the fox stayed up past the crack of dawn. Soon, the rubbing started up again, almost as soon as it had stopped. The kitsune made a soft noise. His ears were folding slightly as sleep was taking over.**

**            " It'll be okay, kid…I promise. Get some rest." **

**            The hedgehog's voice was soft and kind. Something that simple was very reassuring to the young little fox. His resistance to sleep was failing now. **

**            " I don't…want…to…"**

**            The hedgehog's fingers barely rubbed at the boy's ear before he had to quickly catch him just as he practically fell to the floor. Shadow found him to be incredibly light, despite all the fur that covered Tails' body and tails. He swatted the first aid kit to the other side of the bed, then gently laid the boy down on the bed. The kitsune started curling up into a ball instinctively; his tails wrapping around himself like a blanket. Shadow pulled the blanket up and over the boy's shoulders, tucking him in gently. **

**            Tails was already in a deep sleep. That was apparent to Shadow as he watched over the small boy as he moved about in his slumber. _I don't think you could wake him up if you tried…_Almost as if cued, there was loud cursing from the other room, causing him to jump a little bit in surprise. It was obvious that it had to be Knuckles, since the voice was deep and overly angry sounding. The hedgehog looked toward the door for a moment, and then back to the sleeping kit, who hadn't moved. _Well…at least he's still asleep…_ He remained silent as he listened intently. There was still cursing, only it had quieted. Then, a scream. **

**             Shadow jumped again, partially because of the shock, and partially because he knew it was Sonic's voice. It was long and horribly painful sounding, almost like a cry of an animal as it was being slaughtered. He had quickly placed his hands over the kitsune's ears as soon as he had heard it, so the boy wouldn't wake up to his hero's pain. Just as rapidly as it had started, the noise subdued itself, and eventually settled. He heard talking. It took every last ounce of his strength to keep him in that room. He had wanted to rush in there as soon as his fellow hedgehog's voice had sounded. His ears flicked a little as he was trying to pick up any bit of conversation between the two treasure hunters. They had been with Sonic for a long time now and Shadow's concern had been growing, especially now since that wail had been so…piercing. He wanted to know what Sonic's status was, but he was smart enough not to venture out of the room. Trying to help when he was supposed to be resting would only piss the white bat off, and Shadow really didn't want to be pelted in the head by a stray kick. **

**            Sitting down on the edge of the bed, the ebony hedgehog with ruby stripes began contemplating to himself. _Did I do everything that I could to help Sonic when we were in the GUN Labs…? Could I have done something differently, which would have assisted him in some other way…? _He held his head in his hands. _Is he dead? Did he just scream his last breath…? No…try not to think about it that way…!_  
            " Shadow…?" **

**            He raised his head a little bit. Rouge was standing by the doorway, leaning against it slightly. Although tired herself, the bat maintained her composure, and noticed Tails asleep in the bed. **

**            " Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" She questioned; her brow raised.**

**            Shadow looked back down at the floor. **

**            " You can't expect a small child like him to wait up any longer."**

**            " I understand that, Shadow." She folded her arms as he turned his head to look at her again. " I expected him to get some sleep after attending to you."**

**            " Well, then you got what you expected." **

**            She frowned. **

**            " You need to rest too. I'll take Tails to his room so you can sleep."**

**            " I wouldn't move him." His gaze had gone back to the small sleeping kitsune, who had kicked off the blanket by now. The fox's ears flittered just barely as Shadow pulled the blanket up over him again. Rouge watched quietly as he did this, saying nothing, but noting everything in her mind. " He really needs his sleep."**

**            " The little guy is a pretty sound sleeper as it is. I've moved him around before. Sonic has done the same thing…" The bat trailed off for a second. " …So, I can move him without him waking up. Trust me."**

**            Shadow said nothing. **

**            " …Shadow?"**

**            " What happened in there, Rouge? I heard the cursing…" **

**            She blinked and looked back out the door.  
            " Kind of hard not to when that _boy_ starts up."**

**            Shadow bit his tongue in order not to make some sort of asinine comment about the two treasure hunters. He knew better to start it up, although Sonic would have said something if he had been standing there. **

**            " Please answer me, Rouge."**

            Rouge looked at him with her green eyes. His eyes met hers. They could both tell. Shadow's concern for Sonic was apparent, but yet, he hid a lot of his emotions about it. She knew him a little bit better than anyone else in the workshop though, so she knew he was in pain. Not just the pain that he had suffered from the torture that GUN had put him though, but also the pain of not knowing. Wondering. Hoping that everything would be okay. 

            She wasn't sure if she should tell him.

            " Rouge…"

            " Well, you see---"

            " Please, Rouge…" He interrupted, thinking that she was trying to skirt the issue.

            She bit her lip. Casting her eyes downward, Rouge frowned. _It was so horrible…to see him like that…how could I explain it…?_ Her ears flicked as she heard Shadow get to his feet. She raised her head to look at his face once more. 

            " Do you want me to beg?"

            Another blink. 

            " W-what?"

            " _Please_, Rouge…please tell me…"

            She tried to give him a gentle smile. 

            " We've done what we could, Shadow. Knuckles and I had a hard time trying to keep him still long enough to be able to help him. It was very similar to what happened when we got you here the first time…" 

            Shadow listened attentively, not saying a word now. He just let her explain. 

            " While Tails was tending to you, we had to try and sedate Sonic, which wasn't too difficult a task since he was already unconscious. Knuckles helped me by holding him down as I had to take his blood and give him one of the first injections." 

            The sound of water running started up. Shadow looked upwards toward the second floor. Rouge blinked a little.   
            " Knuckles must be taking a shower."   
            " Oh?"

            She had tried not to giggle, considering that their present situation was rather serious. Shadow's brow furled just slightly.   
            " What is it?"

            " Well…you know the cursing that you heard from Knuckles?"

            " Yeah, what about it…I thought something serious had happened to Sonic…" 

            " Not at that moment."

            " Then…the cursing was because…?"

            " Sonic threw up on him." She stifled a laugh.

            The hedgehog blinked in disbelief, feeling a twinge in his jaws. 

            " Are…you serious…?"

            " You have no idea how hard it was for me not to laugh at him right there…"

            Rouge was snickering now, although she felt horrible for doing it when it was at the expense of Knuckles' dignity. Shadow felt himself smirk, chuckling quietly. The quiet laughter only continued for about a minute, until they both stopped and looked at each other. Tails hadn't stirred during their brief minute of amusement. Soon the reality of the situation crashed down again, taunting them in their minds by playing with their guilt. 

            " Um…back to the topic…"

            " Oh…of course…"

            " Why did Sonic scream…?" 

            She bit her lip again.

            " They put something in him."

            " You mean like they did with me?"  
            " …no."

            Ruby eyes blinked rapidly. He wasn't sure what to say, but he hoped that she would tell him. The bat seemed to fidget a little. 

            " …what did they put in him…?"

            " Erm…well…we're not exactly sure what it is…"

            " Rouge…?"

            " You know that deep hole that was in his chest…?"

            " …yes…"

            " I found some sort of…sensor…embedded into it."

            His face paled. She paused, unsure if she should continue.

            " W-what does it do…?"

            " I don't know…we're going to have to test it…"

            " That's why he screamed…?"  
            " I had to get it out of him…"

            " It wasn't trying to keep him alive or anything…?"

            " I don't think it had anything to do with that…or else I would have left it in there if he would have died if I took it out."

            Shadow slowly sunk to another sitting position on the floor. Her hands touched his shoulders, as she knelt down, looking him straight in the eyes. He blinked. He watched her mouth move, but did not hear what she was saying. His mind was too clouded with pity, sorrow…and rage. A fist tightened a little. Soon there was a hand on his forehead. 

            He almost lashed out at her. He had restrained himself though. She was not the enemy. GUN was. That scientist who liked to chortle about the torturing was. _The fucking sadist…_ He soon heard her voice again.

            " …You're burning up. I'm going to have to give you something for the drugs that they put in you."

            " They didn't do as much to me as they did to Sonikku…"

            " I know…I have to take your blood though. I'll give you a sedative so you can sleep tonight."

            " I…don't want to sleep…" 

            " You have to, Shadow…" Rouge's voice was calm, which seemed to surprise him.

            " I'll dream…I don't want to dream…"

            " Just wait right here…I'll be right back."

            He heard her footsteps walking away from him. The floor was cold, but he didn't move from it. It seemed to feel nice against his flesh, since it seemed to get warmer and warmer. Raising a hand, he put the back of it against his forehead. _I guess I do have a fever…_ Shadow let his arm drop with a flop, just listening quietly to the various sounds. Tails' light breathing was rather soothing, since it was calm and slow. The deepness of his sleep had made it be so quiet, as if his body was making sure that the boy wouldn't seem like he was in the way. Shadow's ears listened to the sound of running water from within the walls, remembering that Knuckles was washing up after the incident with Sonic in the other room. A small shake of his head caused him to focus on this tinkering sound that was coming from out in the hall. It had to be Rouge, since she had said that she was going to get some medicine or something like that for him. Another noise was heard. One of which sounded like a machine. Shadow paused; his ears flicking and trying to find the right sound wave that it was picking up. 

            It had to be coming from Sonic's room. He felt his breathing slow for a moment as he contemplated what might be in that room. Sonic had been worse off than he was when they got out of GUN Labs, and was probably attached to some…machine that would help him get better. For some reason, that bothered Shadow. And he didn't know why. _Whatever Rouge and Knuckles did to him is only to help him…but…_The thought of the tube flashed in his head. Swirling blood. Helplessness. He gripped his head with both hands, making a soft sound. _Stop it! _Burning. Pain. He watched it torture his friend all over again in his mind. His fingers were gripping at his quills now, trying to restrain his tongue from making any noise. He was staring at Sonic's body again. Behind the glass. Pure vulnerability. 

            He blinked and he was behind that glass again. _NO!!!_  
***  
            Rouge nearly dropped the glass of water that she had just filled as soon as she heard Shadow crying out. _Oh no. _She rushed back to the room, taking something with her. She looked to the floor instantly, since that was where he had been sitting when she left him. A ball of jet black quills with splashes of blood red color was beginning to curl up into a defensive position. He had rolled away from the bed and had pinned himself against the wall. 

            " Shadow!" 

            She could hear him crying. Whimpering. Begging for it to stop. She knew she had to help him. And that meant that she had to prevent him from rolling up into a ball as a defense, or else she wouldn't be able to get to him without help. Rouge walked up to him quickly, trying not to scare him any more than he was already. She quickly nudged a hand under his arm, just before he tried to roll again. The bat kept her voice shushed, trying to sound helpful as she spoke to him. He was shaking uncontrollably.  
            " Shadow…it's okay…we're not going to let them hurt you again…"

            He only wailed at her. She saw the tears from his eyes. Unfortunately, his quills were being raised faster now. _He thinks I'm trying to hurt him…_

            " It's alright…shh…" 

            Her hand pet at his arm, gently. His teeth sunk down into it. She yelped a little but did not pull away. 

            " Shadow…it's Rouge…you're safe…" 

            His bite seemed to let up on her hand. The curling had stopped. For now. 

            " I just want to help you…"

            He wailed again, incoherent now, as if he was being choked by something. The treasure hunter only made something out about Sonic within the garbled mess of his words. _He's still worried about Sonic…_

            " Sonic's alright, hun…we're helping him right now…" 

            The hedgehog seemed to calm slightly. A low whine came from his mouth. 

            " …please let me out…"

            Green eyes blinked. _The trauma of his capture is affecting him…_

            " It's okay hun…you're not in the tube anymore…you got out… and you helped Sonikku, so he's safe now…just relax…" 

            He uncurled just slightly, raising his head a bit. He moved his arms up a little, toward her. His hands quickly shoved at her as he moved away, trying to turn his back on her. She didn't move far, since it seemed like he didn't want to hurt her either. She moved up to him slowly.   
            " Shadow…?"

            His shoulders heaved a little, making a pitiful noise. He had seemed to calm a little, and wasn't shaking as much anymore. His legs were being tucked up to his chest now. _I think he's out of the delusion of being in that tube again…_ Her ears picked up on the gentle breathing of Tails, who hadn't woken up at all. The water wasn't running anymore. _Knuckles probably heard the screams…_ She raised a hand to put it on Shadow's shoulder.   
            " …don't…look at me…" His voice was pained, quiet and full of guilt. 

            " Shadow…it's okay…I just want to help…" Her hand barely placed itself on his right shoulder.   
            He swung around. 

            " …Don't touch me!!"

            Rouge backpedaled slightly, thinking that Shadow was going to strike her. He swiped at her hand, keeping his head lowered so his eyes couldn't be seen, and almost raised his hand again. She quickly snatched his wrist. His other hand started to rise, but she snatched at that one again. The hedgehog stopped, trying to figure out what to do now. He could probably overpower her…and tried to pull his right hand away from her grip. She wouldn't let go. 

            " You're not strong enough to be able to take me on, Shadow…" She said, remorsefully.   
            " Let me go…" His tone was somewhere in between spite and mourning. 

            " No, I will not do such a thing. I know it's hard Shadow…we're here for you though as best as we can be…" 

            He pulled harder now.   
            " Let me go, damn it!" 

            Rouge tried to hang onto his wrist. This was getting no where and she knew it. She waited for him to pull sharply again, letting go as he did. Startled a little, Shadow stumbled backwards a little, but recovered just slightly. In a split second, his other hand went to hers on his other wrist, trying to pry her fingers off. He didn't care if she grabbed his hand again. He just wanted to get away. He didn't notice her pulling back herself. 

            The slap hurt like hell. Stars briefly popped against the blackness of his eyelids when he winced, stumbling again. He shook his head, raising his free hand to his cheek to touch the burning flesh. Rouge was frowning. Her ears were folded over and she looked very sad to him. His cheeks were wet from his tears, which cooled the burning feeling that his cheek felt from the slap. A sniffle came from him as he rubbed his cheek, looking down. 

            " I…I'm sorry…" Tears dropped from his face and onto the floor. 

            She frowned a little. His shoulders were heaving now as he placed his palms against the floor, not looking at her now. Rouge moved a little closer to him, placing a hand on his head gently. He stopped for a moment, but did not lift his head. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him close. He blinked a little in shock. She gently held him, letting his head rest on her shoulder.

            " It's alright, Shadow…you're safe now…"

            He tried to pull away from her again. She wouldn't let him. 

            " You can let it out…I won't tell anyone…"

            Shadow felt the tears flooding back into his eyes. _No…must not show weakness…_ Rouge gently rubbed his back, trying to get him to relax a little. 

            " I promise, Shadow…"

            He couldn't hold it back. It was too painful not to. He wept, burying his head against her shoulder. His shoulders heaved again as he shuddered. Rouge let him cry. She probably was the only one to see him do it since he was awakened back on ARK. _I wonder when was the last time he ever really showed this side of him…_ She couldn't help but ponder it. Shadow had been a typically cold person. The suffering that he had to have felt within himself must have been hard to deal with. She knew this, especially from his melancholy that she witnessed on ARK. At the time, she hadn't been able to get him to talk about it. His silence was unbreakable back then. The trauma that he had gone through in GUN Labs had to have broken him in a way. She only hoped that he wouldn't become harder because of it. 

            Rouge looked down at his whimpering figure, still sad herself that she could do nothing more for him. His tears kept flowing like little rivulets down his face. The sadness that had been pent up inside of him for so long refused to stay hidden any longer. He moaned quietly about feeling helpless, and yet having to be strong for himself to be able to continue living. Rouge's ears picked up on a name as well, in between the slew of babble that was coming from him. She hugged him gently, shushing him a little, like he was a small child. He was greatly fatigued as it was and now even more exhausted due to the emotional release that he just went through. He had calmed a little, but the tears refused to stop flowing. 

            " You need to get some sleep…"

            Shadow only burbled an answer at her. All she could make of it was that it was defying what she had said. 

            " Don't talk back now. You do need it. It will do you some good…"

            Another defying murmur. 

            " I'm not going to take no for an answer, Shadow."

            He lifted his head to look at her. 

            " I don't want to have the dreams again…"

            _Dreams…? _The bat wanted to question him about this, but she had no choice. It would have to wait. 

            " I'm sorry, Shadow."

            " But…I…" 

            One of her arms let go of him, to take something out of her pocket. Shadow was too disoriented to realize what she was going to do. He didn't want to sleep. To dream again. A pop noise was heard as she undid the safety on the small gun-like thing that she had. The safety cap from the nozzle of the gun bounced on the floor once. She pressed it gently to Shadow's neck, pushing the trigger and sending the pressured hypodermic needle into his veins. He cried out sharply as the serum of sedatives quickly entered his body. 

            " What…did you do to me…?!"

            " I gave you a sedative. You'll be asleep shortly."

            " God…damn……you…Roug----guh…" The crimson eyes rolled back into his head.

            Shadow's head slumped against her as she held onto him so he wouldn't fall to the floor. She frowned a little, gently petting him.   
            " Sorry…but you needed it." 

*** 

            After a little rearranging, Rouge managed to get Shadow into bed. She had placed Tails gently on the floor, where he only curled up and made himself comfortable while she helped Shadow's limp body into the bed in his place. She popped his shoes off, placing them on the floor, and covered him up. His face was still wet from the tears that he shed. She dried his face off with a handkerchief, putting it back into her pocket once she was done. After making him as comfortable as she could, she felt his forehead. The fever was gone now, so she relaxed a little herself, and made sure to leave a bowl of water and a washcloth on the nightstand. 

            Scooting Tails up, Rouge turned off the light in the room carefully, and proceeded to take the boy to his own room. He was sleeping peacefully, which was surprising to her since Shadow had been screaming a few feet away from where he had been. _I guess the poor little guy really needs it…_ She put him to bed, tucked him in, and gave him one of his toys to hug in his sleep. Once that was done, she tiptoed out of his room, closing the door again. She heard Knuckles still tinkering around in the bathroom, but left him alone and went downstairs again. She made a quick check on Sonic to see how he was doing. His vitals were good and he was still asleep, so she left him to his rest. Tired and exhausted herself, Rouge flopped onto one of the chairs and let out a long sigh. She pondered about what she was going to do about sleeping quarters now. There were only four rooms in the workshop. Both Shadow and Sonic were in one, and Tails was in his. There was only one other room and there was no way in hell that she was going to share it with that echidna. She rubbed her head.

            _When Shadow had come here the first time, he had a room to himself because he was ill. Tails had his room, and I had the other guest room. Sonic and Knuckles had just shared Sonic's room then…but now there's the problem of both hedgehogs having rooms to themselves. _She let out another sigh. _Oh well, I guess it's the couch for me. _Her ears flickered as she heard footsteps. Rouge turned her head a little toward the stairs, blinking a little as Knuckles walked down them. 

            The Guardian wasn't wearing his shoes, socks, or gloves. He had a towel around his neck, but the water that had collected in his dreads was still dripping down off of them, landing on his shoulders or the floor. He rubbed at his head with one end of the towel. Rouge was trying not to look at him directly. Knuckles had this innate ability to be adorable and not even mean to. 

            " Clean now?" She smirked slightly. 

            " Oh shut up…" He growled quietly. " I heard screaming. What happened? Sonic alright?" 

            " Sonic's fine. I just checked up on him. Vitals are good and he's still asleep."

            Knuckles stepped off the last step and continued drying his dreads. " Then it was Shadow?" His violet eyes met her green ones. 

            " Y-yes…" She seemed to get a sad look on her face again.

            " What is it?"

            " He was having one of those post-traumatic experiences."  
            " What'd you do?" He walked up to the chair. 

            " I tried to make him feel better, but in the end I had to sedate him."

            " Wouldn't go to sleep willingly, would he?" 

            She rubbed her temples again. " You know, he and Sonic are very much alike sometimes…"

            Knuckles chuckled quietly, but stopped when Rouge hadn't even smirked at him.

            " What's on your mind?"

            " I'm debating on if I should just sleep from the rafters or the couch."

            An eyebrow rose. He blinked, thinking about it for a second. 

            " Oh…right. There aren't enough rooms." The echidna relaxed his brow. 

            " Yeah, that's right."

            A small grin.  " You could always sleep with me." And he quickly ducked the pillow that was thrown at him. He chuckled a little, standing up again. 

            " That is NOT funny, echidna."

            He laughed. She fumed.

            " IT'S NOT FUNNY!" 

            " I think it is." He said, chuckling to himself. 

            Rouge folded her arms and huffed at him, turning her head away. Knuckles stopped laughing and frowned a little. He went back to drying his dreads.

            " Sorry." 

            " Don't be." She huffed at him. 

            " Hey, you can take Sonic's room. I can sleep down here. How about that?"

            " I don't want your sympathy."

            He growled a little bit. She stuck her tongue out at him. 

            " Alright, well, that's your decision." The Guardian shrugged. " I'm too exhausted to deal with your shit this time."

            " Like you should talk."

            Another growl. Knuckles shook his head and eyed her with his famous upraised eyebrow. Rouge was looking up at the ceiling, pondering if she could fly up there. 

            " What are you doing?"

            " Looking up, dipshit."

            His eyes narrowed slightly. She sighed.  
            " I'm thinking of sleeping up on the rafters. I can do that."

            " What about your---"

            " It's fine. Don't worry about it." Rouge interrupted. 

            " You probably shouldn't---"

            " I told you. It's fine." She interrupted again.

            " You fixed it?"

            She was silent.

            " …Rouge?" His voice lowered a little. 

            " I said don't worry about it. Get some sleep. We all need it." 

            The bat had turned her back on him now, still having her arms folded. Her ears flicked a little bit as she heard him muttering to himself. His soft footfalls started to walk away from her, until she couldn't hear him anymore. _Now then…_She opened her wings, expanding them slowly. She winced a little as her right one stopped opening. _Ow…_Her ears flicked a little as she heard a small clink noise. _What was that? _Turning her head, Rouge gasped as Knuckles was lunging at her. 

            " GAH!!"

            Rouge didn't have time to get out of the way. A scream and a crash later, both of them were on the floor of the workshop. Knuckles was sitting on top of her, pinning her face first to the floor. She squirmed as best as she could underneath his weight. 

            " What the hell are you doing?! Get off of me!!!" 

            " Hold still!"

            " Knuckles! Get off of me!"

            " I told you to hold still!" 

            She was swinging her arms around, trying to grab at him. He growled slightly, shoving her down and holding her arms to the floor. Her eyes widened as she cried out, struggling. She felt his knee push on the middle of her back, causing her to squeal a little. One of his strong hands clamped on her mouth, quieting her. Her face flushed a little as she felt his breath on her neck. 

            " Just calm down…" He whispered. " I'm not going to hurt you."

            Her rapid breathing slowly calmed.

            " No screaming? I won't hurt you Rouge."

            She nodded a little. He let go of her mouth, backing off. 

            " Oof…could you get off of me?" 

            " Not until you let me patch you up."

            " But I'm fine!" 

            " You weren't 'fine' when we left GUN Labs." He set down the first aid kit that he had walked off to get before. 

            " Knuckles, I can handle it!"

            " You can't reach that far back to clean and bandage it if you tried."

            She squirmed a little in defiance. His left hand placed against her back, pushing. 

            " Eep!"   
            " You know I've got the upper hand on you this time, Rouge."

            " …Bastard."

            He grinned a little. " I know. Can you stretch your wing out?"

            " …I'll try…" 

            Rouge stretched out her right wing as best as she could. She winced slightly. Knuckles' hand gently moved over her wing, looking it closely. There were some smaller cuts that were on her wing sporadically. He felt along the base of her wing, where it connected to her shoulders. She felt herself blushing a little.

            " Can you move it a little more?"

            " But it hurts when I do…"

            His hand gripped her wing, slowly moving it. She whined a little. He stopped.   
            " That's good enough, just hold it there for a little bit."

            " Alright…"

            Violet eyes stared at the large gash near the base of her wing. He looked closely at it. _Damn…_ Picking up the tweezers, he bent down over her.   
            " This is going to hurt a little."

            " What is it?" 

            " There's glass lodged in it."

            " Gah…" 

            " No wonder it was so painful. Now…hold still." 

            The female treasure hunter tried to stay calm and not tense up. Tensing up always resulting in more pain than was necessary. She gritted her teeth as Knuckles pulled the piece of glass out of her wing, putting it aside and pressed a cloth to her now bleeding wound. 

            " There isn't any more glass in it, is there?" She asked, her ears folded.

            " No, I looked when I was pulling that one shard out."

            " Thank god." 

            Knuckles removed the cloth to see if the bleeding stopped. He snatched up a bottle of disinfectant, and opened it. 

            " This is going to sting a little."

            " I hate that line. It always stings a lot…"

            He chuckled a little.   
            " Yeah, I know… brace yourself." He pushed the disinfectant onto the gash.

            " OW!!" Rouge squirmed a little. 

            " Oh shush." 

            She felt him putting the bandage over it. Tugging on it a little bit, Knuckles tested it to make sure it would stay there, and then got off of her. She pushed herself up off the floor and into a sitting position. 

            " You probably won't be able to fly for awhile." 

            The Guardian was putting everything away in the first aid kit. Her wings folded up against her back, carefully. Rouge rubbed her shoulder a little bit. 

            " You didn't have to scare the hell out of me like that."

            " Oh, and what else was I supposed to do? I know you. You wouldn't have let me look at it if I had asked."

            " Oh? Well you could have asked. I might have let you."

            " Bullshit." 

            She fumed a little. 

            " Well, you still didn't have to tackle me!"

            " Had no other option." He grinned. 

            " I swear you love freaking me out…"

            The echidna leaned forward to look her in the eyes. 

            " What did _you_ think I was going to do?"

            Rouge felt her lips not want to work. 

            " I…um…"

            Knuckles laughed a little, picking up the towel and the kit. He walked away, heading back toward where the first aid kit had been in the first place. Rouge was still sitting on the floor, blushing a little. She heard him come back, but did not look up. _Can't let him see that I'm blushing…_

            " Hey, are you just going to sit on the floor?"

            " Are you going to go to bed and leave me alone?"

            He huffed a little. 

            " You're impossible, Rouge."

            " Speak for yourself."

            A sigh. 

            " Anyway, you go get some sleep. It's been a long day." She said quietly. 

            " You first."

            " I have to find a blanket so I can sleep on the couch first, Knuckles."

            " Hmm…" 

            Knuckles seemed to be pondering. She didn't worry about it, though, and started to get to her feet, dusting herself off.

            " There's a spare blanket in the hall closet, right?"

            " Right."

            She nodded and walked past him. The Guardian watched her walk by, thought for another moment, and then grabbed her. 

            " AAAH!" Her eyes widened again. " What the hell are you doing?!"

            " Carrying you off?" He snickered as he flung her over his shoulder and headed up the stairs. 

            Rouge beat her fists into his back, screaming at him to put her down. The echidna only ignored her attempts at getting him to drop her, and continued onward to Sonic's room. She was struggling as best as she could, now trying to pull his dreadlocks. 

            " Ow!! Let go of those!" 

            Yank.   
            " OW!"

            " PUT ME DOWN!" 

            " Let go of my dreads first, missy!"

            YANK.   
            " OWW! Son of a bitch!" 

            Kicking the door open with his foot, Knuckles walked into the room with her. She squealed and kicked her feet, yanking on his hair as hard as she could. 

            " PUT. ME. DOWN!!!!" 

            " Yeow! With pleasure!" 

            And he dropped her onto the bed. Thump!

            " Ouch! You asshole!"

            " Blah blah blah…" Knuckles said, shoving her down onto the bed. " You, sleep here. I'll see you in the morning."

            She tried to spit in his face. He made a disgusted noise and wiped it off of his cheek. 

            " Ungrateful little…"

            " _Fucker!_"  
            " _Bitch!_"

            Rouge slapped him as hard as she could. A red mark was left on his face, but he only glared at her. His anger was rising now. 

            " Why you little!"

            " Let go of me!"

            " Will you just shut up and go to sleep?!"

            " Get bent!"

            " You first!"

            A simultaneous " _Fuck you!_" was said between the two of them. With great emphasis, of course. Both were growling at each other, glaring and filled with rage. Rouge snapped her teeth at him in a threatening manner, trying to get him to let go of her. Knuckles wasn't fazed and only moved his head back when she snapped at his nose. He was resisting the urge to return the smack that she had given him, but only because he didn't really want to break her jaw. She wailed as she struggled, unable to gain any ground since he was stronger than her, and was even pinning her legs with his own. Another growl rose in her throat. He sneered at her, still angry. She was still cursing at him, only gaining more retaliation by his own fiery tongue. The echidna screamed at her to just shut up and appreciate the fact that he was giving up the bed for her. She told him to try and make her, and only continued yelling at him to let her up. 

            Two seconds later he was kissing her. Her eyes widened for a moment, then closed a little as he let go of her arms. One hand gently caressed her cheek as the kiss deepened, whereas her arms wrapped around his neck. It only lasted for a brief moment before both pulled away, blushing horribly. Rapid blinking eyes stared at each other, almost in utter disbelief. Rouge was about to say something when he put a finger to her lips.   
            " Go to sleep." 

            The Guardian quickly flung the covers over her as he made a hasty exit, startling her in the same moment. She pulled the blanket down a little to see him closing the door, after quickly saying a goodnight to her. She saw the flushed look on his face just before he shut the door. Blinking a little to herself, the bat felt her own face flushed. She stared at the door for a moment, touching her lips once with her right hand, and then smirked a little before she laid down for the night.  
*** 

And that's it for now!   
  
Sonic: It's not over yet! We're still all…injured and stuff! AND YOU HURT ME!!!! ;.;!  
  
Shadow: How long IS this fiction going to be?!?!?!  
  
Well….the whole thing is about….75 pages already and I'm not done. .;   
  
Both: ……………………….. And you're not done…?  
  
Nope!   
  
Sonic: EVIL!!! ::hissing at her:: PURE EVIL!!!!!  
  
Shadow: Didn't we see you writing another fic though…?  
  
Yup! I'm working on an actual short story (and yes, it will be SHORT, not something as lengthy as this one is… ^^;) Right now it's called Dependency. I hope to have it done soon too though, but I wanted to get this chapter up first!   
  
To be continued! :3 I hope you enjoyed it!  
  
Sonic, Shadow and Crew are all copyright of SEGA. :3 HAIL THEM. 


	13. Part 13

Don't think that I haven't forgotten about this story, since I put out a short story after Chapter 12 (Dependency). But... here's Chapter 13. So sorry for this taking so long, but as you can tell from the size, the chapter is really : 23 pages long.   
  
Total story page count: Experimentation: 98 pages. Just to let you know how big it really is. ^_^   
  
Other things to know: I have another short story (a two chapter piece), that I have written down in a notebook. Don't be surprised if you see that up in a few days or so, since I plan on typing it up and putting it up here too. (It's called Unknown, for those of you who are interested)  
  
Once again: Sonic and crew, are all copyright of SEGA.

-------

**            He hadn't gotten too far down the hallway before he leaned against one of the walls, blushing. The Guardian looked down at the floor, staring at his bare feet as he thought to himself. _Why…the hell did I…_ He shook his head and continued on his way down the stairs. _Don't think about it. Completely spontaneous! Yeah, that's it…Not like it meant anything…_ He stepped off of the last stair, turning to the left. _I got to find a blanket. _Knuckles headed for the hall closet, opening the door slowly and plucking the spare blanket off of the top shelf. It unfolded onto the floor, due to his hand only gripping one corner of it, annoying him slightly. He didn't bother folding it up though, since he would be just unfolding it in two minutes when he laid down. **

**            The Guardian grumbled a little as he dragged the blanket, half asleep, to the living room. He rubbed his head a little, flicked a dread behind his shoulder, and tossed the blanket onto the couch. Flopping onto it, Knuckles slouched into a sitting position. He let his head fall back against the back of the couch. His eyes stared up at the ceiling, watching the ceiling fan blades spin slowly. _What the hell was I thinking…? I…_His fingers touched his lips for a brief moment._ I shouldn't have done that…but she's so fucking stubborn…and…_ He smirked just slightly. _Soft…_His right hand slapped against his face. _Stop thinking about that…kiss…GAH!_ **

**            He closed his eyes. His mind wandered to ponder his actions briefly. _I'm really surprised that she didn't…_ His left eye opened just slightly as he moved his hand off of his face. _Wait a minute…_**

**            Her arms had been around his neck. **

**            He blinked once. **

**            _She…_**

**            Her lips had pressed back against his own.**

**            A small smirk.**

**            _…kissed me back…_**

******His eyes slid closed as he slumped over into lying down. **

***** **

**            Hours passed and the small fox tiptoed past the lightly snoring echidna. He smiled just slightly at his older friend. _Must have given Miss Rouge the bed upstairs…_Tails wandered toward the other rooms, to check up on Sonic and Shadow. He poked his head into Shadow's room first, preparing himself for anything. Ears flicked as he heard soft breathing. Normal breathing. Tails' ears folded slightly, unsure if his presence would disturb the sleeping hedgehog. **

**            Shadow's head was turned away from the door. Tails observed that he hadn't moved much from his original position, considering that the blanket was still tucked in tightly around his body. His light blue eyes blinked once. _Miss Rouge must have given him something to help him sleep…His sleep…it just…doesn't seem completely natural…_ Shadow continued to doze, looking peaceful. _I should change his bandages, but I'll let him sleep._ He turned and tiptoed out of the room again.**

**            " How is he?" Rouge's voice carried from above.**

**            Tails looked up at the ceiling. To the rafters.**

**            " Hun, over here. Stairs."**

**            His eyes turned to the stairs. Rouge was leaning over the banister, looking down at him. **

**            " Oh! Good morning, Miss Rouge."**

            " Good morning, Tails. And _just_ Rouge." She smiled at him. " You're always so formal…"

**            " But Miss---" He caught himself as she eyed him with a brow raised. " Yes, Rouge."**

**            Her smile relaxed him a little with her reassuring presence. **

**            " So how is he? Have you checked on Sonic…?"**

**            Tails frowned slightly. **

**            " Shadow's still sleeping…"**

**            " He shouldn't be up for a few hours."**

**            " And I haven't checked on…Sonic…"**

**            Rouge nodded. She hadn't expected him to, unless accompanied. The female treasure hunter wasn't stupid. Tails was worried that Sonic wouldn't recover. That he would die.  
            They were all afraid of that. **

**_            Even Shadow is…when he's conscious at least…_****  
            She walked down the stairs, taking note of the still sleeping echidna. Rouge's cheeks flushed slightly, but she shook her head a little to clear her thoughts. Tails looked up at her. **

**            " Are you okay, Rouge…?"**

**            A slight twitch came from her. **

**            " Y-yes, I'm fine!" She smiled at him, trying not to blush. **

**            His worried disposition did not change. Her smile soon turned to a frown. **

**            " I can go check on him for you, dear."**

**            " N-no, I want…to go."**

**            " Then I'll go with you, sweetie."**

**            He looked up at her. **

**            " You…will…?"  
            " Of course I will. I know you're worried about him." She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to give him another reassuring smile. " You don't have to do this, you know."**

**            " I know…but I want to…"**

**            " Let's go then, okay?"**

**            The small boy nodded, following her as she headed toward the room that Sonic was in. Rouge opened the door slowly, feeling his hand grip at her arm a little. She put her hand over his, giving it a little squeeze. _It'll be okay, kid…_Tails had moved behind her, shivering slightly. He was scared. He couldn't hide it anymore. Rouge knew this. _He's just a little kid. Scared to death of what he has to witness…_ She took a step into the room with the boy right behind her, who was peeking around her right side. Once they cleared the door, the bat let it close gently.   
***   
            Knuckles was still asleep when Rouge left Sonic's room. Tails was sitting on the floor outside the door, with his knees to his chest, staring out into the living room. He had stopped shivering by now, but it was apparent that he was still shaken. She gently touched the top of his head, rubbing one of his large ears. His eyes closed slightly.**

**            " I'm…sorry, Rouge…I…"**

**            " It's okay, Tails…you did your best."**

**            " But I wanted…to help…"**

**            " It's fine. You did help. You just got scared and that's understandable."**

**            He nodded a little, not looking at her. She felt herself frown. It was hard for the small boy and she knew this. She had to shove him out of the room when he was getting too jittery. _I shouldn't have let him go in there. Not when Sonic's hooked up like that…_ Rouge just knew now Tails would have nightmares. He was just a little boy. He shouldn't have seen what he had. The treasure hunter was kicking herself mentally for allowing it to happen. **

**            " Are…you going to be okay, hun…?"**

**            Tails nodded. He sniffled a little. She blinked once and kneeled down next to him, giving him a hug. The small fox rubbed his eyes a little bit and tried not to cry. **

**            " H-he's going to be…okay…right…? He's going to get better…right…?"**

**            Rouge would have told him the truth if she could. She honestly didn't know. She didn't want to lie to him either, but she knew that there were times that she just couldn't tell the truth. **

**            " Right, kiddo…" She continued to hug him. " Sonic won't give up…You know that…"**

**            " W-what if h-he…doesn't…get better…? I-I'll be alone again…" Tears ran down the small boy's face, dripping down and onto his soft fluffy fur. " I-I-I don't wanna…be alone again…!" **

**            She hugged him tighter, quieting him. Her ears flicked as she heard Knuckles make a noise. _I wouldn't be surprised if we woke him up…_ Rouge didn't worry about it for the moment. Her top priority was calming Tails down. **

**            " It will be okay hun…Shh, just calm down…"**

**            Tails sniffled, rubbing his eyes a little.   
            " O-okay…"**

**            " You going to be okay…?"**

**            He nodded a little. " Y-yeah…" A soft smile appeared on his face. " I know Sonic won't give up…He'll get better!" **

**            She smiled a little herself. **

**            " That's right."**

**            " I'm getting kind of hungry." Tails blinked a little. " What about you, Rouge…?"**

**            " A little. Should we make some lunch?"**

**            Tails nodded. **

**            " I'll see what we have to make!" His voice had somehow regained sort of its cheerfulness. " But you have to stop hugging me, Miss Rouge."**

**            Green eyes blinked and she laughed a little, letting go of him. **

**            " You're a cute kid, Tails." She rubbed his ears a little. " And it's _still_ just Rouge."**

**            He laughed quietly to himself. **

**            " Got it…"**

**            " Go make something to eat. I'll be right there."**

**            " Alright!" The young fox said cheerfully, walking off toward the kitchen. **

**            Rouge watched him for a moment. Her ears flicked slightly again as she heard Knuckles move. **

**            " You'd be a good mother or a big sister or something, Rouge." He said softly, stretching. She saw his ungloved hands rise up a little from one side of the couch, then disappear again.**

**            " You were quiet for awhile." She said quietly.**

**            " Didn't want him to think that I was awake. The kid likes to be strong in front of Sonic and I."**

**            A hand grabbed at the back of the couch as the echidna pulled himself into a sitting position. His dreads were slightly messed up and he still had sleep in his eyes, which he rubbed with his other hand. Once again, she tried not to think about how adorable he looked sometimes. It was obvious that she was trying not to look at him. Knuckles knew this, but thought it was for another reason.**

**            " You're still mad at me, aren't you?"**

**            A blink.  
            " What?"**

**            " …for last night."**

**            Even an experienced treasure hunter couldn't hide the blush that was forming now. **

**            " …Depends on what you're referring to."**

**            Silence. **

**            They could both hear Tails tinkering in the kitchen, humming quietly to himself. **

**            Neither one was looking at the other. **

**            " …Well, are you still mad?"**

**            " About…?"  
            " U-um, w-well…" **

**            Rouge blinked slightly. She never saw Knuckles fumble his words like that before. It was kind of cute. Not that she'd EVER tell him that to his face.**

**            Now it was a matter to see what he would say. **

**            The Guardian was rubbing the back of his head now, unsure of what to say. He had half expected to be slapped the second that she laid eyes on him for the night before. But she hadn't. That puzzled him to no end.   
            She couldn't help but smile at the perplexed look on his face.**

**            " Sleep well…?" She asked. **

**            " H-huh? Oh. Yeah. …You?"**

**            Rouge didn't look him in the eyes.   
            " …Yeah."**

**            Silence resumed. **

**            " Rouge, I---"**

**            " Did you want waffles, pancakes or---oh! Good morning, Knuckles!" Tails interrupted, walking back into the living room with a small smile on his face.**

**            Both treasure hunters had flinched a little as the fox returned. He blinked a little, looking to one, then the other, trying to figure out if something was wrong. **

**            " Morning, kid."**

**            " I'll eat whatever you make, Tails…" Rouge said, smiling a little. **

**            " Would you like something too?" The fox looked over at the echidna.**

**            " Sure." He smiled gently. **

**            " Okay!" And with that, the fox went back into the kitchen, humming. **

**            Rouge's ears flicked a little as she heard Knuckles get up from the couch. She looked over at him for a moment, then turned away again. He stretched again, making another noise as he did so, and folded up the blanket. **

**            " You did the checks on the two hedgehogs?"**

**            " Y-yeah…well, I didn't look in on Shadow yet…but Sonic is…"**

**            " …As okay as he can be, right?"**

**            " Right…" **

**            " Still out?"**

**            " He probably won't wake up for awhile…The sedative I gave him will keep him out for a bit…and the rest is really up to him."**

**            " You mean…"**

**            " If he doesn't have the will to wake up, he won't…"**

**            " Couldn't we…give him something…?"**

**            " We could…not sure if it would work. At the moment, it's not wise. It's best to wait it out right now, and do what we can for his wounds."**

**            The Guardian nodded a little bit. **

**            " What about Shadow?"**

**            " His wounds are bad, but not as bad as Sonic's. He was worse when Sonic brought him here." **

**            " Fever?"**

**            " It broke last night. Hopefully he didn't get another one…he shouldn't, since I gave him some medicine for it, though."**

**            " I'll go check on him for you. You go relax."**

**            " I can do it, Knuckles."**

**            " You don't have to play nurse all the time, you know."**

**            " And you want to? I can just see you in a white skirt…" **

**            She giggled as he glared at her. **

**            " Not funny."**

**            " Yes it is…"**

**            " Go get something to eat. I'll check on Shadow."**

**            " His bandages are going to need to be changed…"**

**            " I'll do that if he wakes up. If not, then I'll do it later."**

**            " Alright…Thanks, Knuckles."**

**            " No problem. I don't mind helping out."**

**            The echidna padded past her, still not wearing his shoes or gloves. She waited as she heard him open and close the door, then looked back. She left the blanket on the couch, figuring that someone was going to need to use it that night as well. The bat pondered for a moment, and then walked into the kitchen to assist Tails with the cooking.   
*** **

            He felt a hand on his forehead as he was slipping out of unconsciousness. He hadn't dreamed anything really. His sleep had been very unnatural. The hedgehog barely even knew he had slept. His eyelids fluttered as he strained to open his eyes. Red found red as he looked up at the Guardian's arm. Shadow made a soft noise as he tried to wake up completely.

**            Knuckles notices his eyes opening, removing his hand slowly.**

**            " Did I wake you?"**

**            Shadow's hand reached up and touched his head, rubbing it gently.**

**            " No… Guess Rouge's serum wore…off."**

**            " How are you feeling?"**

**            " As fine as a torture victim could." **

**            Shadow's bluntness did not faze the echidna. **

**            A brow flicked slightly, but Knuckles expected bitterness from the hedgehog. He knew that he too would be irate if Rouge had drugged him if he had refused to rest. **

**            " Your fever's gone, so that's a good sign." The echidna said quietly, peeling a bandage on Shadow's arm away so he could look at the wound. " We're going to have to change these too."**

**            " I would like a shower first."**

**            Knuckles looked up. **

**            " I don't see how that would be a problem…if you can stand and all."**

**            " I walked in here, didn't I?"**

**            " Point."**

**            Neither one of them really truly knew each other. Tension was a little high between the two males. Shadow wasn't comfortable. He knew Rouge to an extent, but the echidna that she was so fond of was a mystery to him. All he knew was that Knuckles was just as bullheaded as the bat was, and he didn't want to mess with anyone who could give him a good clobber when he knew he couldn't avoid it. With his injuries, he was lucky that he could move as much as he could. Granted, he knew that the echidna had helped Sonic and Rouge help him when he was first brought to Tails' workshop, but he wasn't sure of how the echidna really felt about his being there. He got the feeling that he wasn't welcome. **

**            It was the same with the Guardian. Shadow had always been an enemy and the echidna had trust issues to begin with. The ebony hedgehog had been a threat before to Sonic and the rest of the world, so the Guardian wasn't fond of affiliating with him. But, they had all believed that Shadow had died at ARK. Died helping them save the world. That had proved to the Guardian that there was some good to the hedgehog, just like Rouge had showed him when she had given him back the pieces to the Master Emerald. **

**            Even if he had been an enemy, Shadow had helped them. A friend…? Knuckles had debated it. But there were many things that pointed in Shadow's favor toward him being a comrade. The echidna recalled that Shadow had helped Sonic when they attempted escape from GUN Labs. _He could have just left him there and tried to save himself…But he didn't… He helped Sonic…_ Whether it was just repaying a debt or not, Knuckles wasn't so sure. But he saw the concern in the black hedgehog's eyes. _Perhaps…he's not so bad after all…_ The Guardian continued to check the bandages in silence. Shadow didn't move as the echidna tinkered with him. **

**            " Can you move your arms up?"**

**            Shadow nodded and complied, so Knuckles could peek at the bandages wrapped around his chest. **

**            " How come you're not taking them off?" The hedgehog asked quietly.**

**            " You said that you wanted to take a shower. There's no point to change them right now, if you're going to take them off in a little bit." **

**            The hedgehog nodded once again. **

**            Silence resumed between the two of them as the checking continued. **

**            " Chatty bunch, aren't you?" Rouge's voice called from the doorway.**

**            The two males looked up at her, still saying nothing. She frowned, snickering to herself though.**

**            " Figures you two would do that." She tried to smile at them.**

**            Knuckles returned her smile, finishing with his work. Shadow – did not.**

**            " Aren't you changing them, like I told you to?"**

**            " Of course not. I never listen to you." He said, smirking.**

**            " Knuckles!"**

**            " I'm kidding! Shadow said he wanted to take a shower!"**

**            The bat blinked a little, looking over at the sitting hedgehog. He nodded with his eyes. **

**            " Very well." She smiled. **

**            Shadow resumed with his stoic look. Rouge wasn't sure if he was still out of it from the drugs, or if he was just annoyed at her or Knuckles.**

**            " Are you finished then?"**

**            Knuckles nodded, stepping away from Shadow to give him his space. She walked up to him, pointing up with her index finger. **

**            " Follow with your eyes please." She asked, watching his crimson eyes watch her finger as she moved her hand back and forth. " Okay, good. Are you feeling sick or anything…?"**

**            Shadow shook his head. **

**            " Fever gone?" Her hand touched his forehead again.  
            " Yeah, it's completely gone." Knuckles said, leaning against the wall, watching. **

**            The hedgehog nodded a little, still very quiet. **

**            " I'll show you to the bathroom, Shadow. Can you stand?"**

**            Rouge moved to help him stand up, but he wouldn't allow her to take his arm. She didn't take offense to it though. The bat knew that he was out to prove that he was fine. Knuckles had moved to help Shadow himself, but she waved a hand at him, trying to get him to back off. _I'll handle it, Knuckles…_ He nodded slightly at her, resuming his leaning position against the wall. The hedgehog was standing on his own, slowly headed for the door. Rouge followed close behind him, giving her fellow treasure hunter a look before departing. **

*****   
            " Shadow, please let me help you at least up the stairs."**

**            " I can do it…"**

**            When he stumbled on a step, she didn't even scold him. Taking his arm, Rouge steadied the hedgehog with her other hand on his back. **

**            " You alright?"**

**            He grumbled about the stairs. She couldn't help but smile a little. It was a known fact that when a person was getting better, he or she bitched more about things. She helped him up the stairs, thinking about how there really should be a bathroom downstairs as well, so the injured wouldn't have to deal with the stairs at all. Shadow grumbled again, trying to get her to let go of his arm. The bat would not let go of his arm and continued down the hall to the bathroom. **

**            " Here we are." Rouge said, opening the door and flicking on the light. " Everything should be in here that you'll need to use…"  
            Shadow walked into the bathroom, looking about a little bit. He nodded and started to undo his bandages on his arms. **

**            " Let me help you with those."**

**            " I can get them…"**

**            " Not the ones in the back."**

**            " I'll manage."**

**            " No, you won't. Don't be stubborn."**

**            He paused, looking up at her. She stared at him for a moment. **

**            " I just want to help, Shadow."**

**            " I don't need your help."**

**            " That's where you're wrong." **

**            The hedgehog fell silent. **

**            " …You wouldn't let me help you on ARK either."**

**            " I didn't need your help then."**

**            " Maybe. But you do now. I don't care if you think you're fine. Even if you feel fine, I'm going to assist you because I can see that you're not."**

            " Why do you care?" He looked away from her.

**            " And why _don't_ you?" **

**            His ears flicked a little as he looked back at her with sad eyes. She was trying not to get angry, because it wasn't unlike him to do this. _He's not used to someone caring about what happens to him…_**

**            " Look…I don't know what happened in your life before you were locked away by GUN and the Doctor released you…but you had to have cared about someone then, didn't you? Or were you always this…cold…?"**

**            Shadow made a face as his thoughts flashed back to the blood spray. His fist tightened a little, then relaxed. Rouge frowned. **

**            " I'm sorry, Shadow…but you have to realize that _we_ care about you now." **

**            He looked up at her a little, almost like he didn't believe her.**

            " You know we do…if we didn't, then why would you even be here…?" 

**            " …Sonic…wouldn't have saved me then. And you guys wouldn't have…"**

**            She blinked for a moment, then nodded once.   
            " Yes…Please understand. We just want you to get better. I know it's annoying, but you need our help, even if you don't like it."**

**            " R-rouge?"**

**            " Yes?"**

**            " …Will you help me with these?" He tugged on a bandage gently.**

**            The bat smiled a little.   
            " Of course, Shadow."**

**            Green eyes met crimson for a moment. Sometimes he reminded her of a child. Trying to be brave and independent, when he was truly frightened and needed help. Shadow was too much like Sonic for his own good. They were very similar in stubborn personality traits, although Shadow's lacking people skills shone through more than any of Sonic's annoying traits.**

**            Then again, Shadow was technically a child. In a manner of speaking. Granted, he had been locked away in stasis for who knew how long, but as a living being, he only had a few years of actual life on the planet. Wise, yes, but Shadow hadn't really experienced anything that resulted in living his life. Especially when it came to doing what he wanted. _No wonder Sonic insisted on taking Shadow out to Station Square for that night out…He probably wanted to let Shadow enjoy a little free time, since he never really had any time to have fun…_Rouge smiled coyly as she helped Shadow unwrap his bandages. He grunted a little when she pulled at one, where she quickly apologized, looking over the wound carefully. She didn't want to actually rip any of his skin when taking the bandages off. **

**            The dirty bandages were scooped up and placed into the garbage can as soon as they were all off of the hedgehog's body. Rouge inspected him carefully, then watched as he busied himself with trying to get a fresh towel to use. She looked up and down his body, since now that all the bandages were off, she could get a better look at his wounds. Despite the places where it had been shaved off, Shadow's black fur was still healthy looking and beautiful. His skin that showed through was a ripe shade of red-pink colors. That was a good sign. It showed that the cells weren't completely dead due to the torture that was inflicted on him. Even though his body had been damaged, the GUN scientists hadn't toyed with scarring his face. His head spines were still intact and folded slightly against his back, due to his sleep. **

**            He was clearly still full of life. His face showed it. **

**            It also showed his pain.**

**            " Why…are you staring at me?"**

**            His voice startled her, snapping Rouge out of her thoughts. **

**            " Oh, I'm sorry, Shadow."**

**            He raised a brow at her. **

**            " Did you want to watch or something?" A small smirk appeared.**

**            She flushed just a little, laughing at him.**

**            " No, I'm sorry. I'll leave."**

**            " Alright."**

**            The bat headed for the door, pausing slightly. He looked over at her, with a questioning look on his face.**

**            " …Did you want to ask me something?" She asked, quietly.**

**            " …No. Why?"**

**            " I just get this feeling that you're not saying something, or asking something that you want to know about."**

**            He shook his head slowly.**

**            " You're sure…that you're alright?"**

**            Shadow blinked and nodded once more.**

**            " Just…thinking…"**

**            " About…?"**

**            " …Something."**

**            " …Or someone?"**

**            Rouge wasn't stupid. It was clear as day on Shadow's face. He was still worried. **

**            But he waved a hand at her, wanting her to leave. **

**            " Alright, I'm going. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs. Tails has been making lunch and everything too, so there will be some food for you to eat when you're done. Knuckles and I can help you put the bandages on again when you're all done…okay?"**

**            " Okay."**

**            She gave him a smile, trying to reassure him as much as she could, then left the room. He closed the door behind her, sighing a little to himself. His back touched the door as he touched his face with his hand, wincing slightly. His gaze turned to the mirror on the wall, just to his right. He moved from his leaning position, walking up to the sink, and bent down to look at himself in the mirror. **

            He hoped that his fur would grow back. To cover the scars that would appear eventually as his body healed. His fingers traced wounds, feeling at the tissue that was beginning to grow slowly. His eyes averted for a moment to the shower. He looked it over, turning on the water. He let his fingers touch it, trying to determine the temperature. Too hot would hurt his tender flesh. Too cold would drive him crazy. He finally got it to an adequate temperature, turning another knob so it would go through the actual showerhead, and stepped into the shower.

**            Closing the shower curtain behind him, the hedgehog winced as the water hit stinging flesh, pulling loose dead skin from his body. He started to tug at a piece of skin that was hanging now, making a noise as it ripped off. Blood trickled down a little, mixing and diluting with the water. He watched it slowly run down his lithe body, soon hitting the floor of the tub, creating little faded swirls as it went down the drain. **

**            The soap was going to hurt. He knew this, but took it anyway. Yelping a little here and there, Shadow cleaned his wounds and fur cautiously, trying not to open them up any more than they were already. _I really hope Rouge doesn't want to put more antiseptic on me…_ He knew that she would though. _Sometimes I think she has a sadistic streak in her somewhere…_ His thoughts soon went back to thinking about Sonic. _What the hell did they put in him…? I wonder how he's doing…_Shadow's quills, now very wet, laid against his back by now. It was almost impossible for them to stay upright with all the water that had soaked into them. **

**            It didn't take him long to clean up. He stood in the shower, staring at the floor of the tub as he let the water run against his head. His quills, drooping now, kept the water from his eyes as he thought. As he worried.**

**            He knew he would survive. **

**            Sonic, he wasn't so sure about.**

**            _I need to see him for myself. _**

**            Rouge wasn't going to allow that in a million years. He knew the second that he was done with the shower, she would be waiting to turn him into a mummy again. **

**            _And with the Guardian helping her, there's no way that I could get far even if I ran…_**

**            He pondered.**

**            He had to know.**

**            A little trickery worked wonders sometimes.**

***** **

**            Leaving the water on, Shadow stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel to dry off with. He carefully dabbed at the sores, trying not to make them bleed. Some did, when pressure was applied, but it stopped soon after. He sighed, looking back up at the mirror again. His quills were down and against his back, with little drops of water and blood dripping down his body. He padded at it again with the towel, frowning at the color that it was turning. Deciding that he should try and dry his head spines, Shadow started rubbing them before he stained the towel too much. They did not perk back up again. That was typical though. He knew that. _It always took those things forever to dry…No matter. It's not important. _Staring at himself for a moment, Shadow frowned. _Despite my normal markings…I could pass for Sonic if I was the same color as him…_He felt himself frown even more. He wasn't sure why he felt like this, so worried about someone who had been an enemy. **

**            At one time.**

**            But Sonic had helped him. He knew this. If the blue hedgehog hadn't gotten him out of GUN Labs, he would most likely still be locked up in that stasis tube like some sort of grotesque experiment. Once finished with drying himself off, Shadow wrapped the towel around his neck, so that the water from his quills would drop onto that, instead of the floor. He left the water still running in the shower as he slipped out of the room to make his way downstairs. _Can't be seen by any of them, or else I'm just screwed. _He was going to get to Sonic's room by any way possible. Shadow slowly walked down the hall, leaning up against the wall. He prepared to duck into a room if he had to. His right ear flicked a bit as he listened, then poked his head around the corner of the stairwell. _So far, so good. No one's in the living room…_ He could hear voices coming from the kitchen though. **

**            Tiptoeing down the stairs, Shadow braced his feet, just in case he needed to dive off of them. _You never know…those two treasure hunters are pretty hard to get around when they actually work together…_ No one seemed to notice his descent down the top of the stairs. He could smell toast and bacon wafting from the kitchen. Shadow was starving, but food would have to wait. He was on his own little mission this time. Continuing down the stairs, Shadow gripped the handrail tightly, just in case his feet decided to fail him again, like they had when he had been going up them before. He made it to the last step, waiting and watching for anyone who might try and stop him. **

**            He waited…**

**            …but no one came to delay him from his goal.**

**            A smirk. **

**            Sneaking around the bottom of the stairs, Shadow made his way to the room next to his. He did another double check of his surroundings, before opening the door and disappearing into it.**

***   
            The door closed softly behind him. It was very dark in the room, considering that the lights were off and the drapes must have been closed. Shadow's hand groped along the wall, trying to find a light switch. His ears flicked at the sound of labored breathing and the hum of machinery. A finger found the switch. He took a deep breath, bracing himself mentally, flicking on the light. Turning away from the door, Shadow blinked as he slowly took in the sight. He felt his face pale a little as he looked toward the bed. 

**            Various machines were next to the bed, monitoring Sonic's vitals as well as administering drugs to him. An IV bag hung next to one corner, as another machine nearby plinked Sonic's heart rate out loud. Shadow remained standing, but he let his back touch the door, taking it all in. _It looks like a hospital in this room…God…_ He swallowed a little as he walked forward, looking Sonic over as he laid there, practically unmoving. **

**            The hero's face was somewhat pale and almost completely devoid of life. His eyelids were closed as he breathed shallowly into the mask around his mouth and nose. The IV needle was attached to Sonic's left hand, slowly dripping some liquid into him. _Not sure if that's just some form of medicine or actually his "food"…_ Shadow continued to look his friend over. He was tucked in pretty well with the blanket, so Shadow couldn't really see half of the bandages that had to be wrapped around his small frame. He only knew that they had to be far worse than the ones that had been on his body. His eyes softened a little at his injured adversary. **

**            " Sonic…"**

**            Shadow couldn't tell if he was just unconscious or if Rouge had drugged him with a sedative. _I know she had to when she and Knuckles were trying to tend to his wounds…_He felt like he had to do something. To help Sonic somehow. _There's…nothing I can do now though…_ He eyed the chair that was up against the wall. Grabbing it, Shadow pulled it over to the bed, where he sat down and stared at Sonic. **

**            " You have to get better…"**

**            Sonic still did not wake. Shadow wasn't even sure if Sonic could hear him. **

**            " You probably can't hear me…" He started. " But…thanks. For helping me…I would still be stuck in that tube…if it hadn't been for you." Crimson eyes continued looking the other hedgehog over, searching for any sign of movement. **

**            There was none. **

**            Only Sonic's chest rose and fell slightly as he continued breathing quietly into the facemask. Shadow's eyes softened again, feeling completely helpless once more.**

**            " You have to get better, Sonikku. Your friends are worried about you…"**

**            He frowned, pondering.**

**            And then touched Sonic's hand with is own.**

**            " …and so am I."**

***** **

**            " Jeez…" Knuckles said, leaning back on his chair while looking up at the ceiling with a brow raised. " Sure taking his sweet time up there, eh?"**

**            " Hush, echidna." Rouge said, munching on a piece of toast. " Let him be. He's probably trying to be really careful so he won't open his wounds more than they already are."**

**            " Or he passed out up there and drowned in the shower."**

**            Her eyes went wide. " Knuckles!" **

**            His large hands waved at her in his defense, leaning back more to avoid any swipe she might have made at him. **

**            " I'm kidding!"**

**            " That is NOT something you joke about…! I'm worried about him too you know!"**

**            The echidna frowned. His toothpick dangled low from his mouth, taunting its escape. The white bat slowly sank back into her chair, sighing loudly as her ears folded. **

**            " Maybe…I should have stayed up there with him…"**

**            " Like he'd let you…"**

**            " What was that?"**

**            " You heard me. I don't think he'd let you stay in there with him while he's showering."**

**            " I could have stayed outside of the bathroom…"**

**            " You're worrying too much…"  
            " Knuckles, just because you don't know him that well, doesn't give you the right to criticize me for caring about him. You might not care. But I do."**

**            " Whoa, now!" He sat up from his reclined position. " Who said I didn't care?!"**

**            " You're _implying_ it."**

**            " Look, you're right. I _don't_ know him that well. You do because of your time on ARK with him, but that doesn't mean that I'm not worried about him too!"**

**            " You could show a little more compassion then…" She said, dejected.**

**            The echidna frowned, looking down at his plate slightly. **

**            " Sor—"**

**            " Don't be sorry." She interrupted. " I know you're worried…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled."**

**            " Yeah, but---"**

**            " You two have the weirdest ways of dealing with things sometimes…" Tails said quietly, setting a plate of eggs down in his place at the table.**

**            The two treasure hunters looked over at him as he sat down. **

**            " …You sometimes scare me with how much you observe, kid." **

**            He laughed a little as he ducked some toast into his eggs. **

**            " Well, you two do usually deal with your problems by yelling… Usually at each other. Or someone else."**

**            Rouge raised a brow slightly.**

**            " That's true…"**

**            Tails nodded, munching on his toast a little. **

**            " How is it that a small boy can know so much about his friends in just a short time?" She questioned. **

**            Knuckles shrugged a little, grinning. **

**            " Rouge?" The fox asked. **

**            " Yes, dear?"**

**            " Does…Shadow need more medical attention and everything?"**

**            " I might have to give him something for the pain, yes. Along with some new bandages. But otherwise…he's probably as fine as he's going to be for awhile."**

**            " …W-what about Sonic?"**

**            " Sonic…is going to need more time and treatment… You know that…"**

**            The Guardian looked over at her with his violet eyes. **

**            " Want me to check on him?"**

**            " Now?"**

**            " I wouldn't have asked if I didn't intend on doing it now…" He smirked a little at her. **

**            She rolled her eyes at him, smiling. It was like him to try and keep the lighter spirit up in the room, considering how down everyone had been. _Keeping our faith will only help things get better…I hope._**

**            " Sure. Thank you."**

**            The Guardian got to his feet, nodding at the two of them. He soon departed from the kitchen, while Rouge sipped on her tea. She looked over at Tails. **

**            " You and I should work on finding out that sensor's purpose…"**

**            " O-okay…" Tails said, shivering a little.**

**            " But, that can wait until we get Shadow settled, dear…Don't worry about it now…"**

**            The small boy was quiet, chewing on his toast again. **

**            " Try not to worry…"**

**            " It's hard…"**

**            " I know…but we have to have faith that Sonic will get better. He won't leave us…" She laughed a little. " He's a fighter…and anyways, he's been in situations like this and he's gotten better…right?"**

**            " Right…" Tails said, nodding. A smile appeared on his face. **

**            She got up and rubbed his head a little. **

**            " I'm going to go help Knuckles, okay?"**

**            " Alright."**

**            The white treasure hunter walked off, following the Guardian's lead. She smiled to herself, feeling a little relieved that Tails wasn't completely disheartened at the situation that they faced. Rouge rubbed her ear, pondering an approximate time that it would take the hedgehogs to recover. _Shadow will most likely get better in a few days or a week or two…Sonic…God, it's so…hard to tell. His injuries are so much worse…_  
*** **

**            The doorknob turned. Shadow jumped as he heard a questioning comment about the lights, come from the echidna as he opened the door to Sonic's room. Knuckles blinked, staring at him.**

**            " Shadow?!"  
            The ebony hedgehog moved slightly, removing his hand from Sonic's as he looked at the echidna with a small smirk. His hand was still resting on the bed though, a few inches away from where it had been. Knuckles couldn't help but smirk himself. **

**            " Cunning little shit, aren't you?"**

**            " I figured Rouge wouldn't let me see him, so…here I am." Shadow said, extending his left arm out slightly in a sweeping gesture.**

**            The bat walked into the room, as if on cue, almost running into Knuckles as he stood in the doorway. She jumped a little in surprise, giving him a sock in the shoulder for just standing there, then jumped again as she saw Shadow sitting there.**

**            " What---how…?"**

**            He only grinned at her, reminding her of Sonic instantly, since his quills were down against his back. Just like Sonic's always were.**

**            " Why you little…"**

**            " I'd run, but I figure one of the two of you will tackle me, so… I'll just sit here and let you fume at me." Shadow smiled gently, rather amused at them. **

**            Knuckles laughed as the bat next to him seethed. She glared at him, practically trying to kill him with her eyes. He only laughed harder at her then. Shadow felt himself snicker a little himself. **

**            " Shut…up. Both of you."**

**            The Guardian leaned up against the doorframe, still snickering a little to himself. Shadow smiled just slightly, feeling a little more comfortable being around both treasure hunters. He quieted, looking back at Sonic. Concern returned. Rouge glared at him, but her face softened quickly.   
            " How…long have you been in here, Shadow?"**

**            " Not long."**

**            " I'll go shut that water off then." Knuckles said quietly, ducking out of the room. **

**            The bat didn't turn to watch him leave this time. She was concerned about both hedgehogs now.**

**            " How are you feeling…?"**

**            " Fine. The shower helped…"**

**            " We should really get you bandaged up again."**

**            " Sadist." He said softly, smirking a little.**

**            " W-what?"**

**            " You just want to douse me with antiseptic again. I'm on to you…"**

**            She felt herself laugh a little. **

**            " Maybe…but it will help your wounds heal."**

**            " I know…"**

**            " Shadow…"**

**            " Yes?"**

**            " …Did it help?"**

**            " Did what help…?"**

**            " Seeing…him. Like this…"**

**            His ears folded slightly as he looked down. Her hands found his shoulders, rubbing gently. **

**            " I shouldn't have asked…"**

**            " It would have driven me crazy if I didn't see."**

**            " I know…Tails had to see him too."**

**            " How bad?"**

**            " It is pretty bad, Shadow. I won't lie to you."  
            " What's his chance?"**

**            " …Of surviving?"**

**            He nodded once.**

**            " I haven't been able to make that assumption yet."**

**            " Don't lie."**

**            " I'm not…"**

**            " Are you now?"**

**            " Shadow…please don't do this to me. I truly do not know…These next few hours…or days, are really up to him."**

**            The black hedgehog raised his head, turning to look at her.**

**            " W-what…? What do you mean?"**

**            " She means it's up to him whether he lives or dies." Knuckles voice came from the door again. **

**            They looked over to the door, finding the echidna standing there again, only this time, Tails was hiding again behind his legs. The fox was still very afraid about even going into the room. Knuckles didn't move though and had his right hand on top of the boy's head, rubbing an ear gently to get him to remain calm. **

**            " It's…basically up to his will to live right now." Rouge said, her ears folding. **

**            " So, you're saying…that if he gives up fighting to survive, then he'll die?"**

**            " Yes…"**

**            " We can't let that happen!" **

**            " Shadow, we can only do so much… we can tend to his wounds, help him heal as much as we can…but if…he wants to die…with the state that he's in now…"**

**            Shadow remained silent. Tails made a noise, cowering against his older friend, who only tried to coax him with another rub to his ear. Rouge noticed Shadow's hand covering Sonic's again, rubbing his knuckles a little with his thumb.**

**            " So, what can we do?" The black hedgehog asked.   
            " Nothing right now…" **

**            " There's…got to be…something."**

**            " All we can do is hope he wakes up…"**

**            " You mean you didn't sedate him…?"  
            " I did." The bat nodded slightly. " It should have wore off about an hour ago…" **

**            " …And he's supposed to wake up."**

**            " We don't know if he will for sure…"**

**            Tails made another noise, closing his eyes and trembling. Knuckles looked down at him, slowly kneeling. He wrapped an arm around the fox, trying to quiet him.**

**            " It'll be okay, kid…shh…"**

**            Rouge frowned, hoping Tails would be alright. **

**            " All in all…it is up to Sonic if he lives or dies."**

**            " Think…he knows we're here…?"**

**            The question seemed to surprise the bat a little. **

**            " I'm…not sure. One would think he can hear us though…But he hasn't really been responsive…"**

**            " What about his vitals?" **

**            " Most of them are pretty good. His heart rate and breathing are weak though… I wish they were stronger, but…"**

**            " …But?"**

**            " But all of the vitals could be stronger. If his heart gives at any time, we have to act quickly or else we'll lose him…"**

**            " Someone will have to sit in here and watch him." **

**            " That was the plan."**

**            Shadow nodded, still looking at Sonic. The hero's ears had moved a little in his sleep, but he did not wake. **

**            " We really should get you into some new bandages."**

**            " I suppose so…"**

**            The white bat noticed him squeeze Sonic's hand once, then let go of it as he stood. **

**            " Need some help?" Knuckles asked, still trying to comfort Tails.**

**            She shook her head, motioning at the small boy with her hand. The Guardian nodded, picking the fox up now and walking off with him. Shadow looked over at them, frowning a little, and then returned his gaze to Rouge.**

**            " Wait…who's going to watch Sonic then?"**

**            " I will, once I'm done with you. You should probably rest some more anyway."**

**            " But we can't leave him alone."**

**            " It won't take me very long to bandage you up. I'm sure you can help me by doing the ones you can reach yourself."**

**            " Then let's do it here."**

**            Rouge blinked, noting how serious Shadow was about this.**

**            " Alright. You win." A smile. " I'll be right back."**

**            She left the room, leaving Shadow once again. It didn't take her long to return with the bandages…and the antiseptic. **

**            " Oh no, not _that_ stuff."**

            **" Must be the 'sadist' in me." She winked at him. **

**            He laughed. After asking him to sit down again, Rouge began cleaning his wounds with a cloth doused in the antiseptic. Shadow gripped at the chair once or twice, gritting his teeth as the biting liquid stung at his sores. **

**            " Sorry…" She said quietly, trying not to hurt him.**

**            " It's okay…" He said through clenched teeth. **

**            Working quickly, Rouge finished cleaning his wounds and handed him a roll of bandages for him to wrap his arms. She tended to his back and chest as he slowly wrapped the cloth around his right arm. He gasped once when she tightened one of the bandages. Promptly apologizing, she gave the bandage a little slack and then tied it off. The hedgehog was trying to tie off a bandage around his hand, struggling slightly. She was about to start bandaging his leg when she noticed his struggle. **

**            " Here… let me help you." She said, gently taking the bandage from his hands.**

**            Shadow said nothing as she finished wrapping his hand, tying it off snugly. **

**            " There. I'll just finish your leg and then you'll be all done."**

**            He nodded at her as she went back to her work on his leg. Rouge completed her task and stood. **

**            " All done."**

**            Crimson eyes looked down at the bandages that were swathed over his body.**

**            " I feel like a mummy."**

**            " I'm sure Sonic would agree with you on that one."**

**            The hedgehog frowned, regaining his worry.**

**            " Are you still in a lot of pain?" **

**            " It hurts a bit."**

**            " I'll give you something for it."**

**            " Don't make me sleep again."**

**            She frowned.**

**            " Resting will help you heal, Shadow."**

**            " I don't want to sleep."**

**            " Okay, I won't give you a sedative…but I'm warning you now. The painkillers usually make people drowsy, so don't be surprised if you wake up from a nap in about an hour or so."**

**            Shadow shrugged as she turned to a cabinet. He raised an eyebrow, watching her take a jar of something out of the cabinet, and yet another needle.**

**            " Bloody hell, don't you have _anything_ that doesn't require you to stab me with something?"**

**            Rouge laughed a little as she filled the needle with some blue liquid. **

**            " You have no idea how many times I've heard that before."**

**            " If you're giving me a sedative too…" Shadow started. "…When I wake up, you'll be in trouble…"**

**            " I'm not going to give you a sedative, Shadow. Quit worrying about it." **

**            She tested the needle for air bubbles and walked over to him. **

**            " Bend over."**

**            His eyes went wide.**

**            " ARE YOU FUCKING---"**

**            " I'm kidding…!" She managed to choke out through her laughter. " Give me your arm." The bat thought his reaction was the most hilarious thing she had seen in awhile. **

**            " Sadist…" He muttered as he let her take a hold of his arm. **

**            " Shush and hold still."**

**            Shadow tried not to tense up as she gave him the shot. It hurt like hell, despite anything he did to prevent from tensing. A whine emitted from the ebony hedgehog as he clutched his arm, rubbing it a little.**

**            " I _still_ think that you're a sadist."**

**            " Hush."**

**            " What are you going to do now?"**

**            " Probably watch over Sonic again. He'll need another treatment shot…so I'll probably do that shortly."**

**            " What about that…_thing_ that you found inside of him…?"**

**            " Tails and I were going to take the sensor apart to try and figure out what it was recording, once I was done helping you…but I need to keep an eye on Sonic."**

**            " I can watch him." Shadow said, looking up at her.**

**            " You? You'll probably fall asleep in about an hour."**

**            " You gave me a bloody sedative, didn't you?!"**

            He jumped quickly from being mellow to being angry. A trait that he did often. She wasn't fazed by it though.

**            " No! I _told_ you! The painkillers are going to make you sleepy!"**

**            " Jesus, you two bicker like a married couple." Knuckles said, poking his head into the room. " Try _not_ to bother the patient…"**

**            Both Shadow and Rouge turned to look at him. **

**            " How's Tails?"**

**            " He's fine… I managed to calm him down. It's hard for him though."**

**            The bat nodded. **

**            " How are you feeling, Shadow?" The Guardian asked. **

**            " The pain is starting to go away…"**

**            He nodded, smiling a little at the hedgehog. Violet turned to meet green as he glanced over at his fellow treasure hunter. **

**            " Tails started tinkering with that sensor. He wanted me to come and get you though. Said something about having to get into the GUN Database again."**

**            " You'll watch Sonic then?"**

**            " Of course."**

**            " I said that I could---H-hey! Let go of my arm, Rouge!" Shadow interjected, trying to pull his arm away from the bat. **

**            " I have the next treatment serum readied, Knuckles. It's still sitting where I showed you they were the last time." She pulled Shadow off of the chair. **

**            He nodded, smirking at Shadow, who was still trying to pry Rouge's fingers from his arm. **

**            " Leggo!"  
            She tightened her grip, just a little, to get him to yelp slightly.**

**            " No. You're going to relax and rest or else I _will_ give you another sedative. Understand?!" Green eyes glared at him. **

**             Shadow's ears had folded back, his eyes widening a little in surprise.**

**            " Yes'm!"**

**            " Good." And she nearly hauled the hedgehog off of his feet as she dragged him out of the room. **

**            " Owowow…stop gripping my arm so hard!"**

**            " Sit." Rouge instructed him once she had pulled him close enough to the couch.**

**            " Don't treat me like I'm a chil---"**

**            " SIT."**

**            He sat quickly. She handed him the controller to the television, which he took reluctantly. **

**            " Watch something and relax."**

**            " But---"**

**            " DO IT."**

**            Shadow slumped a little. **

**            " Why can't I help?!" He back talked to her, which was probably a bad idea, considering that she was already pretty enraged at his stubbornness. **

**            " Because you're still injured and YOU need as much rest as you can get. We've had this discussion before, Shadow. Don't push it."**

**            " Yes, _Mother_."**

**            " Don't make me smack you."**

**            He slumped again, giving off a dejected sigh. Yet another trait that reminded her of Sonic. The blue hedgehog pouted whenever he didn't win an argument. Granted, Shadow was not pouting like Sonic did, but he was annoyed that he couldn't do anything, which was close enough. **

**            " There's books on the bookshelf if you don't want to watch anything…and a blanket next to you if you feel like taking a nap."**

**            " I'm not going to sl---"**

**            He shut up quickly since her glare was returning. **

**            " I promise I'll fill you in on everything once we figure it out…"**

**            " Alright." He gave a slight nod.**

**            " Okay. Thank you. Please rest, Shadow."**

**            Another nod.**

**            She gave him a small smile, before walking off to another part of the workshop. **

**            The hedgehog refused to sleep, so he proceeded to turn on the television. _My pain has stopped, thanks to whatever she gave me…_ His eyelids began to feel a little heavy though, so he rubbed them, trying to get the sleep out. **

**            He did not even remember falling asleep, some ten minutes later.  
*** **

**            " What's the scoop, kid?"**

**            Orange ears perked a little as Tails looked up from his work, wearing his odd green goggles over his large eyes. The bat tried not to snicker at him, for they always made him look silly. **

**            " I've been taking the external plates off of it so we can hook it up to the computer to figure out its programming. We might have to worry about another GUN code though…so that's why I wanted you around, just in case we needed to hack into the Database again."**

**            " I left us a backdoor in the Database, so if it came to that, there would be no problem." She took a seat nearby, allowing the boy his space to work. " If it comes to that though, I'm ready to dive back into the program."**

**            Tails nodded as she put goggles on, just in case. Rouge watched him taking another plate off with a wrench, exposing circuitry and wires. The fox worked quickly but skillfully. He had always been a fast worker in her eyes.**

**            " Did you deactivate it?"**

**            " Technically…no."**

**            " Why not? You could get hurt if it shocked you or something!"**

**            " I figured that GUN would be smart enough to have a tracking device in it…if I shut it off, they'd know that we took it out of Sonic for sure."**

**            " But they can find us now by tracking us here."**

**            " True, but I thought Knuckles could do us a favor and take it somewhere and leave it there for them to track."**

**            " Therefore, they'd be out of our hair for a little while."**

**            The fox nodded, setting the removed panel down on the table. **

**            " What do you think?" She asked.**

**            " I think we were probably right about it simply monitoring Sonic's vital functions…since I don't see anything in here that might be trying to administer drugs to his system or something." **

**            Rouge looked into the small spherical sensor. All she could see was circuits and other electrical panels. Nothing that might hold anything suspicious was there. **

**            " What do you think this is?" She pointed to a piece of circuitry that did not look familiar to her eyes. **

**            " I think it's the transmitter. For GUN's research gathering…but we'll know for sure once we find out what it was programmed to do."**

**            The bat was fiddling with some of the connections to the main computer. She handed Tails a few wires, which he connected to input and output jacks inside the sensor's body. Rouge waited for him to give her a nod before she attached the wires to the computer itself. She opened up a diagnostic program, watching the new windows that appeared on the desktop. **

Analyzing Data…

**            An error message popped up. **

Data Encrypted. Please Enter Access Code

**            " Shit. You were right, kid."**

**            " Do you think we can find it on the Database?"   
            " I can try…I really hope some fool was stupid enough to log in some information about it." **

**            The treasure hunter clicked on her hacking program, using the backdoor that she had made into the GUN Database, to get back in. She worked quickly, knowing that she only had so much time before she had to mask her hacking before they were discovered. **

**            " Give me the serial number of the sensor."**

**            Tails flipped over the sensor, inspecting it quickly for said number. He ranted it off to her, which she quickly used to search through the Database. Hacking back into the system was no problem for her. Staying undetected, as well as finding the information that she wanted, was a little trickier. Scanning the results quickly, Rouge looked for Sonic's name in the subject of memos, or anything that concerned the Chaos Control Project. She soon came across a memo that mentioned the device and placement into one of the two hedgehogs. It had a few links to other files concerning the sensor itself, but it had the access code that they needed at the bottom of it. _Stupid bastards must not have deleted it…or this is a backup copy or something. Eh, who the hell cares? It has what I need. _She told Tails she found it, then typed it into the diagnostic program. It was accepted, giving them the schematics for the sensor, which had its various programs and other output commands. While Tails was looking it over, Rouge got out of the Database before she was discovered, creating a new backdoor into it, and destroyed the last one. **

**            " Just to be safe, you know." She said as Tails had given her a look, wondering what she was doing. **

**            He nodded and looked back at the schematics. **

**            " Seems like we were right." A finger pointed at a program of code. " This is monitoring his bodily functions, making sure to take everything from his heart beat to his breathing into consideration." **

**            " Wait, what's that one?" She pointed to a bit of code at the right. **

**            " Apparently…it monitors…energy?" Tails seemed to be confused by this.**

**            " Like…life force energy or chi?"**

**            " No…I don't think so…I wonder what it could be?"**

**            " I can dig in the Database again to see if that one memo had a link to another description of this device."**

**            " Well…they did say that it was for the Chaos Control Project. Do you think it might have been something to do with that? Monitoring…whatever happens when someone does one?"**

**            " It wouldn't surprise me. Makes the most sense." The bat said, diving back into the GUN Database. **

**            " Maybe we should ask Shadow about what he remembers from GUN Labs?" **

**            Rouge winced slightly, just barely noticeable.**

**            " That might be a bad idea, dear." **

**            Her thoughts flashed back to the crying mass of black and red fur on the floor.**

**            " I-if you say so, Miss Rouge."**

**            " Aha!" She cried, pulling up a new file. " I think I found something."**

**            Tails moved closer to her, so he could read the file himself. There was no need for her to read it aloud, but the bat did it anyway, just in case.  
  
**

CC Project 

            Subjects Sonic the Hedgehog / Shadow the Hedgehog

            The project is coming along nicely. Shadow is responding well to the survival training that we have been putting him through. He has a determined will to live, therefore allowing us to monitor him and record data. Sonic has yet to be tested. We have collected many blood and tissue samples from him in order to be tested against Shadow's. Our sensor has also been installed into Sonic's body, so that we can collect even more data, which will result from another "Chaos Control" by him. Will compare this data of Sonic's to the data of Shadow. 

            **Rouge felt her face pale a little as she continued to read the rest of the file. Tails' hand gripped her shoulder a little, as he listened. **

            We only hope that forcing Sonic to withstand a Chaos Control will not kill him. Our request for prolonging the scheduled time and date of his attempt at the move has not been approved by the project's head. We had hoped to give him a little more time to regain strength before attempting the feat. We fear that we will not be able to control Shadow if we do not have Sonic as a hostage. His death, is simply, **not** permissible.

            **She felt her teeth clench a little in rage. _All of that…was simply for them to understand how Sonic could Chaos Control like Shadow?! They nearly killed both of them…!_**

**            " So…they experimented on Sonic so they could find out why he can Chaos Control…like Shadow…?" Tails asked quietly.**

**            " Looks…like it."**

**            " And they hurt Shadow so they would have this information to compare…?"**

**            She nodded solemnly. The young boy's hand left her shoulder, dropping down to his sides. His fists tightened a little. **

**            " They…didn't even care…if…they killed them! It was just so they could…compare information…How…cruel!!" He stomped his foot against the metal flooring, creating a little echo. **

**            Rouge was a little surprised at his outburst. She logged out of the Database again, turning to him. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. **

**            " Tails, I'm just as upset about this as you are."**

**            " We're going to get them for this, right?!"**

**            She laughed.**

**            " Don't rush into that right now. You sound like Sonic."**

**            " But…we can't…let them…get away with this." He said, lowering his voice a little. **

**            " We're not going to. But…what comes first?"**

**            " …Sonic and Shadow have to get better."**

**            " Exactly, sweetie. We've got to let them get better before we take any action. Then we'll get those bastards. I promise."**

**            Tails nodded. **

**            " Okay, Miss Rouge."**

**            " C'mon. We should go tell Knuckles that our assumptions were correct."**

**            The fox nodded, disconnecting the sensor from the computer. He put the wires away and then looked at her once more.**

**            " We should get rid of that sensor as soon as possible."**

**            " I know, dear. I'll ask Knuckles if he can do it for us, since he knows the best isolated places where he could dump it. Let's put it back together and then ask him if he will do us that favor."  
***   
            Poke. **

**            Poke…!**

**            " Damn it…lay down…" The Guardian said in an aggravated whisper. **

**            " What are you---" Rouge started as she and Tails entered the living room. **

**            " Shh…" Knuckles waved his hand at her as she questioned his poking of Shadow. **

**            The black hedgehog had nodded off on the couch. His head was slumped back against the back of it; his mouth slightly agape. Knuckles poked him in the right shoulder a couple more times, watching him slowly move to get away from the annoyance. Soon, Shadow was laying down on the couch, curling up a little. Tails stifled a giggle as the echidna covered him up with a blanket. **

**            " How did you know that would work…?" Rouge asked in a whisper, so not to disturb the hedgehog. **

**            " Do you know how many times a certain stubborn blue mule liked to fall asleep sitting upright, or even standing, for that matter?"**

**            She giggled quietly. **

**            " I guess you have a lot of experience at moving sleeping hedgehogs then."**

**            " You'd be surprised…" He said, nodding a little. " Did you guys find out what that sensor did?"**

**            Rouge nodded, filling the Guardian in on what they had discovered. She watched as he too began to get angry, smashing his fist in his hand a few times.**

**            " Those fucking bastards…"**

**            " I know…but we can't do anything about it right no---Tails, what are you doing?"  
            The boy was silent, very gently trying to move one of the couch pillows underneath Shadow's head. Once he accomplished that task, Tails smiled a little and got up from his kneeling position. **

**            " I didn't want him to have a sore neck."**

**            She couldn't help but smile at him. The small boy was so kind sometimes. It was amusing for her to see him taking care of his older friends. Knuckles rubbed the fox's head a little with his left hand. **

**            " Sometimes I wonder about you, kid."**

**            He giggled quietly, trying not to bother the sleeping hedgehog. **

**            " Knuckles, do you think you can do us a favor by ditching that sensor somewhere?"**

**            " Sure. Where do you want me to drop it?"**

**            " I figured you would know somewhere that is so isolated, that if they do come looking, they'll have fun trying to find us."**

**            " That'll work. They'll think that we moved Sonic from here to there, since you said it was still active."**

**            " Where do you think you'll leave it?"**

**            " Station Square and anywhere around here in Mystic Ruins is much too close. And I'll be damned if I let them traipse around Angel Island either, so I was thinking of taking it to where the Egg Carrier had nearly sunk before."**

**            " You mean to that little island out there?" Tails asked. **

**            " Sure, why not? Might as well give GUN a nice wild goose chase."**

**            " How long will that take?"**

**            " I should be back in the morning if I leave now. Think you can handle the fort without me?"**

**            Rouge nodded. **

**            " Tails, you might have to help me watch over Sonic. Are you going to be okay with that?"**

**            The fox gulped a little nervously, but he nodded.**

**            " Alright then. I'll grab that sensor and be on my way."**

**            " Don't forget your shoes, Knuckles…" Rouge teased, giggling a little as he padded off, still in his bare feet. **

**            " Oh hush."**

**            Tails looked up at her cautiously. He was a little scared of having to help her with Sonic, but he told himself that he had to. _Sonic wouldn't be scared. He'd help me if I was in his position! I can't be scared!_ Knuckles came back with the round sensor in his hand. He still lacked his shoes, though. **

**            " I gave Sonic that dosage that you left for him." He told Rouge. **

**            " Did you get any response from him?"**

**            " Other than a little movement from being pricked again, not really."**

**            " He's just…got to wake up."**

**            " You know him. It's like a game to him. I bet he's just waiting for the right moment to wake up and be all like… 'Ha, I got you guys good'…" Knuckles said, chuckling a little as he thought about it. " Then I'd have to refrain from giving him a good sock to the face right there for making me worry…"**

**            Rouge's ears pricked up at this.**

**            " You would not, and you know it."**

**            He laughed.**

**            " I know. It'd be funny though. Anyway, I better be off if I want to get back by morning. I'll grab my stuff and I'm out of here then."**

**            " Be careful."**

**            " Aren't I always?"**

**            " No."**

**            The Guardian smirked, but didn't retaliate with a comment of his own. He headed up the stairs to locate his shoes and gloves. Rouge watched him for a moment, and then looked over at Tails. **

**            " Ready?"**

**            " A-as ready as I'm going to be."**

***** **

**            Yawn…**

**            The bat tried to stifle it, but she couldn't help it. Time had passed. It was late in the evening by now. She pondered for a moment. It had been around sunset by the time Knuckles had left. Night fell shortly after that. **

**            And so did Tails. **

**            The fox was curled up at her feet, sleeping soundly. _I knew he wasn't going to last…but then again, he was up before everyone else. _She yawned again. _God…I don't think I'm going to be able to stay awake._ Her eyes went back to Sonic, whose breathing had gotten a little bit better…but that was really it. He had yelped a little in his sleep when she gave him another injection, but otherwise, he was _still_ asleep.**

**            She frowned. **

**            _I already changed his IV and everything…He should have woken up at least once by now…_**

**            Another yawn…**

**            And a hand touched her shoulder, startling her. **

**            " Eep!!" She moved to look up at well rested crimson eyes. **

**            " You're tired. Go get some sleep." Shadow said quietly, trying not to wake Tails, who was trying to latch to his feet. **

**            " I have to keep watch on Sonic."**

**            " Let someone else do it."**

**            " Knuckles isn't here and I don't want to wake Tails."**

**            " Then let me."**

**            " You need YOUR rest, though."**

**            " Rouge," Shadow shook his head a little. " I've been asleep since those painkillers kicked in. I have a lot more rest in me than you do. So don't argue. I'll keep an eye on Sonic for you."**

**            " Shadow, I---"**

**            " You're not going to win this time, Rouge. Not this time."**

**            She knew he was right. She could barely keep her eyes open. He had slept for hours and was really the only one who could sit up for another unknown length of time to keep watch. The bat stood, taking her hand off of Sonic's, and pointed to one of the machines. **

**            " If that one goes off, you'll have to---"**

**            " I know what to do if it does." **

**            " W-what?"**

**            " I know how it works."**

**            " How?"**

**            " Rouge, you're not the only one around here with some medical skills, you know. I was taught various things on ARK. Which includes how to operate these machines, as well as other things…"**

            The treasure hunter didn't argue. She knew that Shadow most likely knew these things due to training that he went through in his young life, and probably because he was pumped so full of information due to his time on ARK. 

**            " Alright…you win. But if you get tired, come wake me up…okay?"**

**            He nodded.**

**            " Promise?"**

**            " I promise."**

**            " Okay…thanks, Shadow."**

**            " Mind taking my new foot ornament with you?"**

**            Tails had latched to Shadow's ankle, hugging it in his sleep. Rouge laughed a little, bending down to pick the fox up. She had to pry his small hands from Shadow, but managed to get him off. **

**            " I'll get him to bed and I'll probably be asleep on the couch, if you need me."**

**            " Use the bed in my room. At least try to be somewhat comfortable."**

**            She blinked at him.**

**            " But, you'll need it."**

**            " Not if we trade places when I'm tired. I'm supposed to wake you up, right?"**

**            A grin. **

**            She returned his grin with her own.**

**            " Good night, Shadow."**

**            " Night."**

**            The bat departed, carrying Tails off with her. Shadow sat down in the chair, looking Sonic over once more. _Looks like his regained a little color and his breathing is better…_He gave a small sigh of relief. _Promising…If everything keeps getting better, then he'll live and it will be…well, a lot better for all of us._**

**            The black hedgehog gently covered the azure one's hand again. **

**            " Just letting you know that someone else is here. Rouge was tired. It's not like we left you alone again…"**

**            He sighed. _What am I doing? I'm talking to him like he can hear me…He probably can't…Maybe he knows I'm here though, in some little way._ Shadow gave Sonic's hand a little squeeze, trying to let him know that he hadn't gone anywhere. He tried to relax in the chair, thinking about everything that had happened. _I'm kind of surprised he hasn't woken up yet though… I mean, he's been asleep even longer than I have been…_**

**            Shadow didn't realize how long it had been since he took over the watch on the fallen hedgehog. It didn't matter to him. His ears flicked a little as the machine monitoring Sonic's heart rate picked up slightly, making steadier beeps. _His heart rate just increased a little, to an almost normal range. That's great…_ He moved slightly to relax again, giving Sonic's hand another gentle squeeze.**

**            And paused.**

**            He felt fingers gripping his own.**

**            He looked down, not believing it at first.**

**            But sure enough…**

**            …Sonic's hand was squeezing his. Just slightly. **

**            A quiet groan…and movement. **

**            Shadow felt like he should run and get Rouge to let her know that Sonic finally gave him a response. He started to get up, but felt Sonic's grip tightened a little when he had tried to let go of his hand. Sitting down again, Shadow watched, noticing something else. _Did his eyelids move…? _Another quiet groan. The black hedgehog stared, in disbelief. _Is he…really…? _**

**            Slowly, blue eyelids opened…showing familiar green eyes. Sonic's eyes remained half lidded, as he looked about for a second, and then turned his head to focus on Shadow. **

**            " So-Sonikku! You're---!"**

**            The blue hedgehog smiled just slightly, still looking weakened.**

**            " …hey…Shadow…what'd I miss…?"   
*** **

And with that, we conclude with Chapter 13. The next chapter might take me a little while to get out, since I'm often times busy with other work, or my personal life. I also had a bit of a block when it came to this story, and for that, I apologize.   
  
I want to thank the people who keep me writing. I do this for myself, but I also do it for my friends and fans of my work, even those who aren't Sonic Fans like I am. Especially from those who send me emails, notes, other things, cheering me on to keep it up when my self confidence is down.  
  
To:  Sonic No Miko/Yuzuriha Nekoi, Son Gosai, Orin, Ivory, and Cutie. I appreciate the emails, notes, and various flag waving for me and my writing.  
  
To those who have reviewed me: I really appreciate it as well. The 100+ reviews on this story have also helped me to continue it.   
  
To my other friends, who are basically rabid and try to kill me on a daily basis in order to suck the writing juices out of me, thanks for being rabid. My daily running from you only preserves my writing for more people to read. 

Sonic: Are you done now being sappy?  
  
Oh shush. Do you want me to just leave it now? I can stop writing…and we'll never know if you get better or not!  
  
Sonic: W-what?!?! I FINALLY GOT SOME FREAKING AIRTIME!!!  
  
Shadow: ::snickers::

Ha! ^_^ So if you want more, shush.   
  
Sonic: Did I mention that I hate you?  
  
You'll hate me more when Unknown hits FF.NET.  
  
Sonic: ….rage…building….  
  
^_^ Bye for now! Thanks again!


	14. Part 14

Shadow: What the hell is that?  
  
An update to **Experimentation**?  
  
Shadow: You finished the fourteenth chapter?!  
  
Finally, I know. But yes.   
  
Shadow: ::shock and awe::

Sonic: o.o? Nani? What's up?   
  
Shadow: She finally got the new chapter done…!  
  
Sonic: REALLY?!  
  
Shadow: YES!  
  
You two knew I had a busy college year and everything…  
  
Shadow: ::fanning Sonic – who is on the floor:: He fainted.  
  
Oh god. He's so melodramatic…

Hi again! Yes, I know it's been forever since I've updated. Probably around a year. But being a college student, especially an English Major, I never really had much time to work on the story since I had papers to write and classes to go to. That and I also have a job, so most of my free time was just trying to relax, and not writing. Granted – that drove me crazy too, but…I dealt with it.

Since it's summertime – I've been able to write without needing to worry about homework and other obligations. So – I managed to get this chapter done (all thirty four pages of it – although the total page count as of right now for the WHOLE story is 132 pages). One of the main problems that I couldn't get farther on this story was because of a huge writer's block that I had on it. If you don't know what that is – it basically means that I was unable to write past a certain point in the story – where my imagination and creativity couldn't get past the hurtle to continue the storyline (I'm only saying this here because I have received emails asking me what it was that was stopping me from writing).

As a busy writer, I usually work on more than one project – which includes various writings in the world of fan fiction, but also on my own original work as well. I currently have over twenty projects that I'm working on. Hopefully I will be able to get my sequel for **Unknown** out this summer as well.  
  
Anyway – here you go! I'm sorry it took so long – but it's worth the wait. This is the second to last chapter of **Experimentation**. Chapter 15 is the last one – which I hope to get out before the end of the summer. We'll see though. I will be working two jobs this summer, so I will be busy again…

Thanks for being patient and for reading. I hope you enjoy it and I appreciate it. Oh, and don't mind the horizontal breaks... FF.NET apparently has a thing about asterisks now (that's how I would show breaks in the pages) - so I had to edit... I don't really like it but, what can you do? XP

* * *

** Crimson blinked rapidly as he tried not to run out of the room at that very moment to tell everyone the good news. Sonic's weak smile made him smile, if it was just a little bit.   
  
" You've…been out for a few days, Sonic…"**

** Sonic continued smiling. **

** " I…like the new hairstyle, Shadow…"**

** The black hedgehog touched the back of his head with his left hand, feeling his damp quills. He nodded a little.**

** " I took a shower so…they won't stand up on their own for awhile."**

** " Can't…leave you alone for a minute, can…I?"**

** Shadow raised an eyebrow.**

** " Hmm?"**

** " Stealing my hairstyle…You know, I'd smack you if I could sit up…faker…"**

** Both of them laughed, until the blue hero winced. Shadow rose – Sonic squeezed his hand a little harder.**

** " Are you alright?!"**

** " Okay…note to self…don't laugh hard…"**

** " Do you want me to get Rouge? She can give you something for the pain…" He said, looking Sonic over. He'd have done it himself, but he didn't know what Rouge had already given him, and he didn't want a certain drug to counteract badly with another one and end up killing Sonic.**

** The azure hedgehog shook his head weakly.**

** " No…I'm okay…It hurts, but I'll live…"**

** " You're in worse shape than I am and the painkillers will help…"**

** " Will they make me sleep?"**

** " …Most likely."**

** " Then I don't want them now…"**

** " But Sonikku…"**

** He shook his head again. The stubbornness was still there.  
  
It showed that Sonic hadn't changed much since his torture.**

** " No. I don't want them right now. Maybe if it gets worse…"**

** Shadow nodded, reluctantly. He sat down again, giving Sonic's hand a squeeze. Sonic tried to relax and smiled gently. **

** " So…fill me in…what's happened around here…?"**

** " Nothing much, really…"**

** " Haven't told you much…?"**

** Shadow nodded.**

** " Rouge hasn't really let me do anything…She'll be really glad that you woke up though. They were really worried."**

** Green eyes closed for a moment. The ebony hedgehog wasn't sure if he was trying to rest or if he was pondering…**

** " You did too."**

** His ears perked.**

** " I did what?"**

** " Worried about me."**

** " Well—yeah." Shadow said, looking down a little. **

** He didn't know what to say now. A thought passed by and he lifted his head again.**

** " Oh, I wanted to—"**

** " You're welcome." Sonic interrupted.**

** Shadow paused.  
  
" W-what?"  
  
" I said 'you're welcome'. Did you lose some of your hearing or something?"**

** The infamous grin. **

** He was puzzled though. _How did he…?_**

** Sonic chuckled quietly, trying not to hurt himself.**

** " I heard you, you know…"**

** Blink.**

** " You…did?"**

** Sonic nodded, smiling.**

** " I'm just glad that you woke up…"**

** " What can I say? I die hard…" He chuckled again. **

** It was Shadow's turn to smile a little. Remembering. ARK. Their last encounter before the final fight. He had said that once before. **

** " Do…you know what they did to me…?" Sonic asked, breaking the memory in Shadow's mind like a stone through glass. **

** Red looked up to meet saddened green eyes. **

** " Pardon?"**

** " My chest…really hurts a lot…"**

** " I'll get Rouge." He stood.**

** Sonic shook his head once more, tightening his grip on Shadow's hand, and pulling a little so he would sit down again.  
  
" N-no, I just want to know…if…_you_ know."  
  
Sitting down again, Shadow frowned. **

** " Rouge said that…GUN…put some sort of…sensor in you."**

** " That's what…they did to me…?"**

** " From what she told me…yeah…"**

** The blue hedgehog seemed to tremble a little. He bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes. **

** " I…couldn't really see…what was going on…"**

** _Oh no…I went through this too…_**

** " I just…remember feeling someone sitting on me…"**

** Shadow bit his own lip this time.**

** " And they…I don't know…stabbed me! W-with something…and g-god…it hurt so badly…." He shook a little, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. **

** " Sonic—try not to think about it…"**

** " B-but I…thought I was going to…die…T-that they were slowly….watching me die…" **

**The black hedgehog squeezed Sonic's hand, standing once again so he could lean over the bed. He wiped away the tears from the hedgehog's eyes. Trembling slightly, Sonic paused as he felt Shadow's hand rest on the top of his head.**

** " I'm…s-sorry…it's just—"**

** " Don't be sorry…I know it had to be awful…"**

** Sonic sniffled a little and then opened his eyes. **

** " T-thanks…"**

** " It's nothing…"**

** " God, I wish…I could move…"**

** " You'll get better soon…And once you get strong enough, I'll help you around if you want. Or someone else will, because they probably won't let me do it."**

** Sonic felt himself smile a little. **

** " Just like…I did with you…before…"**

** Shadow paused. He had forgotten about that. Sonic had let Shadow use him, literally, as a crutch when he was first brought to the workshop. He felt himself smile a little again.**

** " Right…"**

** Sonic moved, wincing harder now. He tried to stifle a cry of pain.**

** " O-ow…"**

** His friend jumped.**

** " I'll get you something for the pain. Rouge'll know what to do—"**

** The blue hedgehog wouldn't let go of his hand. Nails digging into flesh now. Shadow winced just slightly, a little shocked at Sonic's grip.**

** " N-no…please don't leave…"**

** He stopped, looking back at him.**

** " Sonic! I have to—"**

** " _Please_…" **

** The hero's eyes were pleading for him to stay. Shadow frowned, not liking this idea. He didn't want Sonic to be in any pain if he didn't have to be. Unfortunately, the hedgehog's stubbornness was getting the better of him this time. He could force Sonic to let go…but he looked scared. He didn't want to be alone. Shadow knew that feeling…and sat down again, grumbling a little at Sonic's stubbornness.**

** " There's got to be something that I can do…"**

** Sonic was trying to deal with the pain, digging his nails into Shadow's hand again, not realizing that he was doing it. Shadow just squeezed back harder, trying to let him know that he was there.**

** " I'm fine…it's going away…"**

** " Sure doesn't…feel like it is…just don't break my hand…" **

** " S-sorry…"**

** " I really should get Rouge."**

** Another shake of the head.**

** " I'm alright. Really, I am…please…don't leave."**

** " But I'll be right back…"**

** " _Please_, Shadow…" Desperation. **

** The black hedgehog thought for a moment. He still didn't like to see Sonic in pain, especially when he COULD do something to assist him… But Sonic said that he was alright. Although it was obvious that he wasn't.**

** " If it gets worse, you'll tell me. Right?"**

** " Right…"**

** " Promise me, Sonikku… I don't want to see you hurt."**

** " I promise."**

** " Alright…"**

** He sat back down. Sonic smiled as best as he could, trying to focus on his friend. **

** " You…were really worried about me, weren't you…?"**

** A slow blink. **

** " Of course I was…you were…so much worse off than I was…"**

** " I'm glad…you're alright…"**

** " Now it's your turn to get better."**

** Sonic laughed, wincing slightly. Shadow frowned yet again.**

** " No worries…I told you…I just can't laugh hard…or it hurts…"**

** Another squeeze.**

** " Try and rest, Sonikku…"**

** " I am resting, Shadow…" **

** " You know what I mean."**

** Another one of the grins appeared.**

** " Have you…by any chance…remembered anything…?"**

** " Remembered…?"**

** " Your memory…Falling from ARK and…all that jazz…"**

** " Oh." Shadow hadn't even thought about it at all, since they had gotten out of GUN Labs. **

** " You haven't remembered anything else…?"**

** He shook his head.**

** " No, I don't have any more…pieces to the puzzle."**

** Sonic frowned this time.**

** " I'm sorry."**

** " It's not important right now, Sonikku. I have all the time in the world to remember, right?" **

** A smile.   
  
It was soon matched with another one.**

** " That's right…"**

** The two hedgehogs continued to converse late into the morning. Time passed, although they didn't seem to notice it much. Sonic fell asleep here and there, due to his lack of energy. Shadow stayed up with him until about dawn. He felt his eyelids betraying him as he sat up with Sonic. He slowly began to doze off, where Sonic, on the other hand, began to wake up. He blinked a little, finding that Shadow hadn't moved from his spot.**

** " Shadow…?" He asked quietly, noting the hedgehog's quiet breathing, and how it had deepened as if he was asleep.**

** His ears flicked as he heard the door open.**

** Tails poked his head into the room, looking about.   
  
" Morning, Shadow…" **

** The hedgehog did not answer him. The small fox walked closer. **

** " Shadow…? Oh, he fell asleep…" He gently touched his arm, about to wake him up.**

** " Leave…him be, Tails…" Sonic's quiet voice spoke up.**

** The fox jumped, looking over at Sonic quickly. The hedgehog grinned at him.**

** " Sonic!"**

** " Shhh…" He hissed. " Shadow stayed up all night with me…don't wake him."**

** Tails noticed that Shadow still had his hand over Sonic's. **

** " …You're okay, Sonic?"  
  
" I've been better…but meh…I'm fine. It'll take a lot more to kill me off…" He winked a little at his small friend. **

** " I should get Miss Rouge!" Tails said, his ears perking. " She'll be so happy that you're alright!" **

** Shadow moved a little in his sleep, catching the eye of Sonic.**

** " Shh, Tails…"**

** " Oops…" He covered his mouth with his hands.**

** " Go get Rouge if you want…kid…"**

** " You'll be okay…?"**

** " I can always wake Shadow up if I need help…"**

** The small fox nodded, taking off out of the room quickly. His excitability was noted as he cried out for Rouge.**

** " Rouge! ROUGE!!"**

** Sonic sighed a little as Shadow's right eye opened. **

** " Tails…is a little too rambunctious for his own good…Sorry, Shadow…"**

** A smirk.**

** " Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?"**

** " Like a truck ran me over a few times…"**

** " That bad, huh…?"**

** " Actually, that's better than last night…hee…"**

** Shadow laughed a little.**

**

* * *

**

** " ROUGE!" **

** The white bat jumped a little, her ears folding.**

** " Tails, I heard you… ow. What is it?"**

** " It's Sonic!"**

** Her heart dropped. _Oh no…_ Sitting up in bed, she slowly looked over at the fox, whose eyes were practically sparkling. He had the biggest smile that he could possibly muster on his face. She hadn't seen that one in awhile.**

** " What about Sonic…?"**

** " He woke up!"**

** " He did?! That's wonderful!"**

** " SonicsaidthathewokeupsometimelastnightandShadow…!"**

** " Whoa, whoa, kiddo! Slow down! Breathe when you speak…"**

** Tails took a deep breath and retold her the same thing in a slew of babble. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him gently. **

** " TAILS! Use spaces!"**

** He gasped again and blinked at her a couple of times.**

** " Sonic woke up some time last night and said that Shadow stayed up with him all night and and and…!"**

** Rouge got up out of her bed, putting her robe on before she ventured out of her room to Sonic's. She was too busy trying to tie it, not paying attention to where she was going…**

** …and collided into an ornery half awake echidna.**

** " Oof!"**

** Hands grabbed at her sides, steadying her against him.**

** " Whoa, there. Where's the fire?"**

** " Knuckles?!" Her face flushed up slightly.**

** " Yup, it's me. What's going on?"**

** " Well—"**

** " SONIC WOKE UP!" Tails screamed from behind them, causing them both to jump, instinctively grabbing each other. " YAAAAAY!" **

** He rushed past them, darting back into the other room where the hedgehog resided.**

** Rouge found her head on Knuckles' chest, since both of them were holding each other out of surprise. They both blinked a little and quickly shoved the other away. **

** " S-sorry!"**

** The Guardian looked at her once and then turned his head away. Purple eyes focused on the ceiling as his dreads swung about, landing against his shoulders. **

** " Um—Rouge…your robe."**

** He made sure NOT to look at her.**

** " Pardon…?" **

** She looked down, noting her silk nightgown showing from her half opened robe. **

** " Eee!" She closed it quickly – after giving Knuckles a good slap to the face. **

** " Ow!! What did you do THAT for?!"**

** " You know exactly why!!"**

** " I didn't _look_!!" **

** " Like hell you didn't!!"**

** " I take it _they're_ falling in love more every day, eh, Shadow…?" Sonic's voice carried a little from the open doorway. **

** " It's _clearly_ flirting." Shadow commented. **

** Both hedgehogs were smirking evilly at the two blushing treasure hunters. **

** " Sonic! You're alright?!"**

** Knuckles rubbed his now stinging red cheek as Rouge rushed into the room, almost knocking him over in the process.**

** " Sonikku! Do you—oh my god, you probably need painkillers…WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME, SHADOW!?!"**

** The black hedgehog jumped, slumping in his seat quickly as she loomed over him. **

** " He didn't want me to! Honest!! I was going to!"**

** " Oh really?! You sadist!"**

** " What!?! I didn't do anything!!"**

** " Exactly! Why I ought to…"**

** " Rouge, don't yell at him! It's the truth." Sonic said, smiling at her. **

** Green eyes blinked once, turning to meet his matching green. His smirk told all. **

** " God, Sonic…you had us all worried!!"**

** " You know me. I like to keep you guys on your toes…" He laughed a little, regretting it instantly. " I really need to remember not to laugh…"**

** " Um…Rouge…can you let me have some breathing room now…?" Shadow asked, poking at her shoulder with one finger.**

** " What? Oh! Sorry, Shadow." She backed up, moving to get a look at Sonic. " Your bandages are going to need to be changed too…and you'll need some more medicine and…"**

** " I can help with that—"**

** " No, Shadow. You need some more rest."**

** " But—"**

** " Rouge," Knuckles interrupted, rubbing the top of Tails' head gently with one hand. " You can handle this, right?" **

** It was very obvious that he was in need of some sleep. She blinked and then waved a hand rapidly at him.   
" Get to bed, Knuckles. Thanks again."**

** He gave them a thumbs up, then turned to find a place to sleep. **

** " I'll talk to you guys later…well, if you're conscious, that is…" He grinned at Sonic, who tried to flip him off as best as he could. The hedgehog was still grinning though. " Later." And with that, the echidna padded up the stairs to find Sonic's actual room and bed.**

** " Shadow, you go get some sleep too. You look like you could use it."**

** " But—I—"**

** " Go on, now." She tried to shoo him out of the room.**

** " I want to help…!" **

** " You can help later! Sleep!"   
  
" Damn it…huh?" He felt a tug on his arm. **

** Tails smiled at him, pulling him toward the door.**

** " Gah! Not you too!"**

** " Miss Rouge is right, Shadow!" He smiled again.  
  
" All against me…" The hedgehog muttered as he walked out of the room. **

** Shadow grumbled a little to himself as he walked back to the room that he had been sleeping in for most of his stay at the workshop. He opened the door, walking in, and found some of Rouge's clothes sitting on the chair. They were neatly folded up, waiting to be used for that day. He also noted her boots that sat next to said chair. Thinking a little to himself, he smirked and picked them up off of it.**

**

* * *

****

  
It had to be the lack of sleep. 

**

** Really. **

** Knock.**

** " What…?" Rouge questioned, looking toward the door.**

** Tails opened it, finding Shadow leaning against part of the doorway. **

** " Do you think this is my color?" He asked, holding her outfit up to his body.**

** He had the slyest grin on his face.   
  
" The black I like, but I don't really care for the pink…but it comes with these _cute_ matching boots!" He was waggling them now. **

** Sonic burst out laughing, practically wailing in hilarity and pain. Tails covered his mouth with one hand to try and hide the fact that he was giggling. The bat, on the other hand, flushed up slightly.**

**" Those aren't for you, you silly hedgehog!" **

** " Are you sure? They were left out all neat and tidy in my room…" Shadow laughed, ducking a swipe from her left hand as she chased him out of the room. **

** Sonic was practically crying now. **

** " Sonic! You're going to rip your stitches if you don't calm down!" Rouge fretted.**

** " SO…funny…slowly……dying of…laughter…!" He choked out in between gurgles.**

** The fox was rolling on the floor by now as Rouge's ears picked up on Shadow's snickering. She stuck her head out of the room to yell at him.**

** " If Sonic rips his stitches because of you…!"**

** " He needed that laugh as much as the rest of us!" Shadow said, winking at her.**

** She scowled at him…trying not to smile. **

** " Go get some sleep…I think the lack of it is really affecting your brain…"**

** He stuck his tongue out at her as he disappeared back into his own room.**

**

* * *

**

** " You really should sleep some more, Sonic…"**

** " But I've been asleep for so long…" **

** He was whining. **

** " You need it though."**

** Now he was pouting. **

** He was SUCH a child sometimes.**

** " I hate feeling weak. You shouldn't need to take care of me."**

** " We all know that you're not weak, Sonic…Let me help you up. We need to change your bandages today…"**

** " Alright."**

** The stubborn hedgehog tried to sit up on his own, failing miserably. Rouge gently took a hold of his shoulder, helping him. She slipped an arm around his back, pulling him up slightly so that he was sitting upright. **

** " Tell me if anything hurts…"**

** Sonic nodded, gritting his teeth as he finally managed to get upright. She pulled the blanket from him gently, looking at the slew of white bandages. **

** " Some of these might hurt when we take them off…"**

** He nodded, trying to raise his arm so she could get at the ones on his chest. He was regretting that move soon after.**

** " Easy, Sonic…you're not superhuman. Take it slow. I can cut them off anyway."**

** Rouge picked up a pair of medical scissors and slowly began cutting some of the bandages away from Sonic's body. A few fell away on their own – others clung to him. All due to the dried blood and draining fluid from his body. She was very careful around the hedgehog's chest, knowing that it would hurt a lot of she accidentally ripped a stitch or two out. Her ears flicked a little as she heard the door close. Tails had hightailed it out of there this time. She didn't blame him though. Even though he had seen Sonic in pretty bad shape before, Tails knew that all of these injuries were all due to the tests done on the hedgehog in order to find out more about any power that resided within him. It was still very hard for the boy to accept that. **

** He whimpered a little as she pulled bandages away from his chest, looking down at the stitches that dwelled there. **

** " Your fur should regrow and cover the scars that'll form, Sonic…"**

** " God……so…big…" He said quietly, staring down at his chest. **

** The hedgehog ran a finger over the stitches. **

** " Yuck…"**

** " It must be draining a little…" She began to add new bandages, replacing the old.**

** " That's…good, right?"**

** " Yes, it's getting rid of anything that your body believes is bad and all…"**

** " I don't think any of the stitches are broken though…if that's what you're worried about."**

** " Good. I was going to have to hit Shadow upside the head if he made you rip any of them."**

** " Oh pish…" Sonic waved a hand a little. " I think I needed that…and it was hilarious." **

** " Only you men would find that amusing…"**

** " I saw you smiling, Rouge."**

** " Perhaps…" She closed her eyes a little and smirked. " I've never…really seen Shadow act like that…though."**

** " I think I must be rubbing off on him."**

** It was true. Sonic was the type to pull a stunt like that. To make everyone laugh when it was needed. Shadow was the quiet type. It wasn't supposed to be the other way around.**

** " Has it gotten a little bit better around here?"**

** " What do you mean?"**

** " I remember the tension…well, some of it. With Shadow being here and all."**

** " I think Tails got used to him being around quicker than any of us. Knuckles, though – I'm not really sure. You know how…silent he is when it comes to how he feels."**

** " It takes Knuckles a long time to trust people."**

** " I realize that. But Shadow's not our enemy anymore. Never really was…well, to me, I mean."**

** " You know him the best out of all of us, Rouge."**

** " And I don't really know that much about him, to tell you the truth. I think he's opening up a little more now. He hides a lot of his emotions and pain…Until it just gets so bottled up that he erupts…" She frowned, remembering his post traumatic sobbing on the floor of the next room. " Never saw him cry before…" She trailed off, unsure if she should say anything about that incident to Sonic. **

** Green met green.**

** " He—what?"**

** Sonic almost didn't believe her. Had he heard right? He couldn't have. Shadow was so…unemotional to begin with. **

** " W-well…"**

** " Rouge…? Please, tell me."**

** " I really should learn to keep my mouth shut." **

** Those eyes though…she couldn't stare at him like that and NOT tell him. Sonic would find out eventually. If she didn't tell him now, he would come after her as soon as he could walk in order to find out what did happen. The bat sighed a little, ears folding.**

** " He sort of…broke down the night before. Post traumatic stress, you know…"**

** " And…he…cried…?" Sonic seemed to have to sound it out slowly, due to his disbelief of the whole incident. **

** She nodded a little.**

** He blinked, trying to picture it in his head. Shadow – actually crying.   
  
It seemed implausible!**

** But she wouldn't lie about something like…that. **

** Then again, he had done the same thing last night.**

** " I…did too…but—only a little…!" **

** Rouge raised a brow a little.  
  
" You did?"**

** " A little…last night and all… Shadow told me not to think about it though…" **

** It was her turn not to believe. Pondering it though, she understood.**

** " He has been very worried about you though…so I guess I can't be all that surprised that he…tried to comfort you."**

** Sonic smiled a little. **

** " Shadow really is a good person…although I don't think he thinks that of himself sometimes."**

** Another nod came from her. **

** " I wish we knew what happened to him though…before he was sealed away in stasis, I mean." **

** She knew a bit of it. **

** The ARK killings. **

** She felt that it wasn't her place to ask Shadow about it though. **

** Sonic shrugged a little. **

** " He'll tell us when he's good and ready…" A sly grin. " After all, you haven't exactly been all that forthcoming about yourself either, now have you, Rouge?"**

** She laughed. **

** " I suppose I haven't, have I?" **

** He smiled at her as she continued to change his bandages. **

** " Ow…"**

** " Sorry. I'm going to give you some painkillers after I'm done with this."**

** " Alright."**

** " And probably a sedative as well—"**

** " Wait a minute! No!"**

** " You need to sleep and get some of your strength back, Sonikku!"**

** Sonic pouted – again. **

** " Oh, don't do that bottom lip crap with me…"**

** He made his lip quiver a little.**

** " NO. Don't be cute!" **

** " Aw, but Mommy…" Sonic whined in his best childlike voice. **

** " I'm _not_ your mother, Sonic, but so help me…"**

** " I really don't want to sleep though…"**

** " You won't be able to do much but sleep if I strap you down to the bed and give you the sedative anyway, now will you?"**

** " …spoilsport."**

** " Hee hee."**

**

* * *

  
" It's so beautiful…" 

**


	15. Part 15

> > > > I had set back a goal to finish this by the end of the summer – I didn't expect to finish it this soon, to tell you the truth. But no matter! Here it is: the final chapter of Experimentation, in all its final glory. XP   
  
Sonic: Whoo!
>>>> 
>>>> Shadow: …::smirk::  
  
Final page count: 144 pages.  
  
Enjoy! Writing is copyright of me of course. 
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Shadow?! What's going on?! Respond! Shadow!!" **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Crimson slanted more as he stared, ready to blow the scientist's brains out. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Hey!! Faker! Respond, damn it!!" **
>>>> 
>>>> ** There were too many thoughts flying through his head. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic's voice continued to prattle on in his ears. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** One hand reached and fiddled with the communication link. His fingers turned the headset off – dimming the voice that screamed in his ears – until it was gone.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The voice of reason was silent. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** A finger curled against the trigger – waiting for the right moment where the final fear came into the man's eyes. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow's eyes were cold and almost lifeless. It was easy to just pull the trigger. To put an end to the nightmares of torture that this man had burned so hard into his mind. To have some form of closure for the things that he suffered. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** He could remember the ARK killings now. The people who he slaughtered for hurting him before - by taking her from him, the only friend he had other than the doctor.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The accumulated blood on his hands of those soldiers still wasn't enough justice for dimming the light of her life before they had a chance to return to Earth. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** It wasn't enough.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** He had enough of this constant pain. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** He would make it go away.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic screamed into his headset, repeating himself until Tails turned and looked at him, trying to get the hedgehog to calm down enough so he could talk to him. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Sonikku!" The fox had to scream, trying to override the angry shouting from both Rouge and Knuckles, who weren't happy that their ears were getting a bunch of Sonic's blather. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " What happened, Tails?! He's in trouble…!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Sonic, he turned his link off!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " What?!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " My sensors say that he turned it off…it wasn't damaged."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …Someone could have turned it off if they…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I don't think so…" Tails' ears folded a little as he frowned. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " We need to help him!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " He doesn't _want_ help." Knuckles bellowed into the communications link between the team. " It's sort of obvious, hedgehog."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Screw you, Knuckles…! You don't know what hell we went through…!" Sonic growled, angry and upset that he and Tails were just…sitting there! Not doing anything to assist. Waiting. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** He hated waiting. It drove him batty. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Sonic, calm down…he turned it off for a reason…you heard part of that conversation, you know…" Rouge's calm voice was surprising to all – considering that she could scream as well as the rest of them. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The blue hedgehog frowned. A fist tightened in his lap. _Shadow remembered something from his past…of how he's killed people before…We all heard it over the link from the background noise…_**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Tails looked a little worried. He knew that Sonic couldn't just sit here and do nothing, but it was the only option that they had at the moment. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Shadow can take care of himself, Sonikku…" Someone said quietly. " We…have to trust him now."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Green eyes lifted to look at the building – knowing full well where Shadow was – how he had gotten to the floor where he had been held prisoner before… And he knew that the head scientist – the one who had all the experiments done on the two of them – was right there. With Shadow. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Most likely threatening to capture him again. To hurt him again. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic felt useless. He wanted to be there with Shadow – to help fight and prevent the experiments from happening again.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " If his link is off though – we don't know if he's been captured or…!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " We…just have to wait…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I don't want to wait! Tails, let's fly in again – I'll go look for him…!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " We can't do that, Sonic! You can barely walk as it is!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I can't just SIT HERE!!!" Sonic screamed, eyes closing as he wailed.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Knock it off, you fucking brat!" The Guardian's voice had gotten hostile and angry. " Shut the fuck up, sit down and hang on for the ride! You can't help everyone and you KNOW that! So STOP being a whiny bitch!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Rouge blinked a little, her own ears flittering as she stared at the echidna from their position in the building. Knuckles had gotten serious with Sonic – which meant that his own anger had pretty much boiled over. She did not say anything at the moment, waiting to see if Knuckles was going to rant more or not. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Which – apparently – he was going to.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " There are some things that people have to do for themselves, hedgehog. And this is one of those things that Shadow _has_ to do for himself. We've only had to deal with GUN for a short period of time, but have you thought about how GUN locked Shadow away? We don't know what the hell they did to him before this last attack against both him and you – and we have to let him DEAL with it in his own way. If that means killing that fucker who put that sensor in you – or did all the experiments on both you and Shadow – then that's his closure. _You_ might not agree with it, Sonikku – but we have to honor whatever decision that Shadow makes…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Tails was silent as well – just waiting and watching how the blue hedgehog took Knuckles' words. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …But…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " 'But' nothing, Sonic! Some people deal with things differently – and he probably couldn't take you screaming at him while he makes a decision of how to step forward. Deal with it – suck it up and don't be a baby just because you don't like how someone handles something that is pretty much critical for him or her to continue functioning!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic had fallen silent – just listening to Knuckles' tirade of words. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Even the Guardian had gone quiet – and there wasn't much else to say. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The silence was maddening between the four remaining links of the communicating team.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The man remained still. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Watching. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Waiting for the shot.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Waiting for death. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow's fingers were twitchy. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Just one shot and it would be over. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The pain brought on by this…slug of a man would be gone. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Over. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** No more.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** He wanted it so badly…**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The taste of death. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Blood on his hands.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Once more.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Blood red eyes almost smiled as he moved the gun.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** And pulled the trigger.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic shivered quickly, feeling a cold wind blow from where the Tornado was hovering. The two treasure hunters had gone silent on their end – except for talking strategy with each other as they began to finish setting the bombs on the lower floors. Tails continued to monitor the links – watching for when Shadow's would turn back on. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** That was – if – it turned back on.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** He tried not to worry as Sonic shifted in his seat behind him. They had to have faith in Shadow. He was very skilled at what he did – and they had to respect the decisions that he made once he was in that building. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** From the second he got onto the main floors of where the experimentation had taken place – he was on his own. They couldn't really help him in any other way – except possibly with security measures, like Rouge had proved before. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** It was that uncertainty – which left Sonic even more worried than he was already. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** But there was nothing that they could do. Not until they either knew where his position was by the headset – or if the feed went dead completely.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** It was a horrible waiting game to play. But they had to play it regardless of anything that the hedgehog did. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic's eyes didn't leave that building. He was waiting for a sign. Something to scream "Come help me" or "I'm okay"…**
>>>> 
>>>> ** He kept shifting about in his seat. Getting antsy. Which was bad since he barely had any patience as it was.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " What's taking so long…?! Why won't he…" He quickly shut up as he heard an echidna growl over the link again. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Ears folding, Sonic resigned to waiting, impatiently.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Rouge's voice came over the link, talking to Tails and explaining that they had their explosives in position and that the treasure hunters would be making their escape from the building soon. Tails responded back and moved the Tornado – beginning a descent while firing off distractions to the turrets so that both Rouge and Knuckles could get out of the building safely. The two dove from a grating, plummeting down toward the streets below – where they would glide away and out of the fire of the GUN security. The plan was for them to use the city as cover – then meet up with Tails and Sonic in the Tornado as the fox made the second pass of the building. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The X-wing plane zipped out of fire, disappearing into the clouds and heading for the rendezvous point that was previously set up by Rouge. Both she and Knuckles were waiting on top of one of the buildings, waiting for the pick up. Rouge smiled at Tails and told him that they had a complete success – whereas Knuckles remained stoic, folding his arms and taking a spot on the plane to wait. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Both he and Sonic wouldn't look at each other. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic's foot continued to tap against the Tornado's floor. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** _Come on, Shadow…this is insane…_**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Blood ran down the side of his face, dripping onto the white coat that he was wearing. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Wide eyes stared at the hedgehog with the gun. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shocked.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow's eyes were still slant and unfeeling. His hatred still grew for the man…**
>>>> 
>>>> ** …who was still breathing.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The scientist reached and touched his face, feeling the blood from the swipe of the bullet that missed him. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Purposely.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** He felt himself chuckle.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Letting me dangle a little before putting me out of my misery…?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Crimson sharpened and glared. His fingers were still on the trigger. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** He did not respond to the man, who seemed to be edging at him. Trying to get him to actually kill.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Maybe you actually are going soft…Shadow…We can rework that…make you into the perfect killing machine once more…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The pistol raised and came crashing down on the man's skull. The hedgehog glared rage and hissed as he smacked the man with the gun twice more before he flopped over.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Unconscious. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow's anger was brimming now as he glared hatred down at the man. One kick to the stomach satisfied him as he felt water on his cheeks.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You're not worth it, you fucking asshole…I hope your misery kills you when you realize that your precious experiments bested you." **
>>>> 
>>>> ** One arm wiped the water from his eyes.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow grabbed his bag off of the floor and quickly raced off to place the remaining bombs left in his possession, flicking at the switch on his headset and readjusting so he could speak into it again.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Guys? It's me. Sorry about that…had a rat to subdue. I'll be done shortly, don't worry about me…" He muttered as he raced about the room, readying the next bomb against a computer monitor.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic nearly jumped about five feet as Shadow's voice came back in his ear. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You're okay!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The hedgehog on the other end laughed a little. There were sounds of his tinkering, readying the next bomb. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Yeah, yeah…I'm fine, faker. I got two more bombs to set and then I'm heading your way."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Shadow…" Sonic seemed to want to ask…**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " What?"  
" …Good luck." He smiled a little on his end.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …Thanks. Over and out."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Green eyes blinked and looked back toward the building, smiling still as Knuckles gave him an 'I-told-you-so" look. Rouge looked relieved as she sat on the edge the plane by Tails' seat. The echidna had taken a spot at the back – near the tail of the plane as they waited for the Chaos Control energy to appear.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The second and third bombs were easy enough to place for the black hedgehog – since he picked out the computers that he knew that his and Sonic's data had been stored in this secret lab. There was only one more to set. He had to fight his subconscious desire to strap it to the unconscious bastard lying on the floor, picking one of the main structural beams of the room. He carefully secured the fourth bomb to the beam, making sure it was set up properly before priming it for denotation. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow picked up his bag, slipping the gun into it and taking his emerald out again. He had one last run around the room, checking the bombs to make sure that they would all go off when the detonator was pushed. He treated himself to another kick to the unconscious scientist before moving to the center of the room, away from all of the bombs, for fear of accidentally setting them off with the energy that he was about to produce. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Gripping the silver emerald in his right hand, Shadow felt the smooth sides with his fingers before tightening his grip on them and holding the emerald up, closing his eyes as it started to glitter with power. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " CHAOS…CONTROL!!!" **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The room filled with silver light – smashing some of the glass that was still around him – as the rings of energy spread and circled his black form. Red and black quills danced in the power and light as the energy quickly imploded onto itself – consuming him and only leaving a tiny blip - before that too – dissipated.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> ** A light appeared above the plane.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Here he comes!"  
  
" Better shield your eyes, guys!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Silver energy burst above the Tornado – dropping two familiar feet onto the wings of the plane. Shadow steadied himself a little and stood, spread-legged on the top V of the X wings of the plane. His quills flittered about from the remaining energy from the Chaos Emerald, only to move again as the wind picked up. He looked over his right shoulder, eying up the blue hedgehog behind him. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Ready to blow it sky high, faker?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** That grin came back to peach lips. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You bet, faker…" **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The two hedgehogs grinned at each other as Tails kept the plane steady as they maintained their distance from the GUN Labs. Sonic dug into the pack in front of him, pulling out the detonator and grasping it in his hands. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Let's enjoy the fireworks!" He grinned as his hand slammed against the detonator quickly, sending the chain of events off. Explosions ripped apart both the lower and higher levels of the building, causing it to burn brightly with orange and red flames of closure. The GUN Labs started to wobble and collapse onto itself, soon having the destroyed higher level crush the levels under it, taking the precious Chaos Control Project information with it. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The team of heroes watched in quiet satisfaction as the building collapsed, knowing full well that no one inside was going to be killed, other than robots…and perhaps one deserving scientist.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic looked up at the hedgehog standing on the V of the wing, wondering if Shadow let the scientist die with his projects, or if he did kill him before setting the bombs. He wasn't sure if he was going to ask when they got home.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** _Perhaps…it's better if I don't know…_**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow's eyes focused on the explosions and how they felt gratifying to him. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** _I know this probably isn't what you wanted…but…I had to do this. Maybe now I can live in some sort of peace…like you would have wanted…_**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Tails began fiddling with the controls of the plane. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Shall we…go home?" He mainly asked the two hedgehogs, since it was their revenge that they might want to savor as the building continued to burn.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Red eyes looked back at green, which nodded.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Let's go home…" A small smile appeared on his face. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Mission accomplished." Shadow muttered quickly, as Tails turned the plane and headed back for his Mystic Ruins workshop, where they all could rest peacefully knowing that they prevented the Chaos Control Project from surviving to torment them any longer.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> Days passed with no interference from any GUN soldiers, allowing complete rest for the weary heroes. Tails heard on the news that the GUN Labs incident was blamed on illegal experiments that apparently exploded – thus ruling the collapse of the building as an accident. The fox said that the placement of all the bombs by Rouge, Knuckles and Shadow had actually helped assist the findings, considering that chemicals had destroyed the remains of the bombs before any arson detectives could find them. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Things seemed to be regaining a sense of 'normalcy' in Mystic Ruins. Tails went back to tinkering on his many projects in the workshop as Sonic seemed to be getting better and better every day. Knuckles would disappear often as he usually did, but always seemed to leave some new herbs for Rouge to use with Sonic's treatment. The echidna was pretty much AWOL after that – most likely back on his island to meditate and become one again with his peace and solitude. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow lingered at the workshop, helping both Tails and Rouge out with the whiny hedgehog who really was itching to get out for a run. The black hedgehog remained pretty quiet after the GUN Labs destruction. He only really seemed to talk to Sonic to keep him busy, or if he wanted to say anything to Rouge or Tails. The fox seemed to worry about this, but the bat knew better. It was just in Shadow's nature to be sort of quiet unless needed. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Time came for the bat to do her own disappearing act, considering that Sonic was walking around in crutches now. She gave Tails and Shadow permission to smack the blue hedgehog around if he rushed himself or tried to walk without his crutches before the next two weeks were up. The bat also left them with instructions of any medication that Sonic might need if his pain returned, but the hedgehog had pretty much been without any need for it since his recovery was very steady and prognosis was good. Sonic protested the beatings and the medication, persistent that he was fine and able to walk without the help of crutches, but was shut up almost instantly by a flying pillow thrown by the white treasure hunter. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic saw her off when she decided that it was time to leave. He hobbled around with his crutches, following her on the runway area of the workshop's land.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " So where are you off to this time, Rouge? Of to collect some more jewels?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " No, I don't think so…but who knows?" She winked and waggled her hips at him a little. " I _am_ the best treasure hunter known to man…" **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The hedgehog smirked.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I know another one who would disapprove of that."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Oh, what does he know?" Rouge folded her arms, her wings tucking against her back a little as she smirked off to the side. " He's just a loner with nothing better to do…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Except guard that pretty BIG Master Emerald of his…" Sonic chimed up, noting the green of the bat's eyes sparkle a little. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Yeah…it's sort of nice, isn't it?" She muttered, sort of daydreaming about getting that emerald for herself again. Her ears perked and she shook her head. " That's not funny, Sonic."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The hedgehog mused, leaning more on one crutch than the other. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Anyway…I think I should be going. You take care of yourself and try not to give Tails too much trouble." She waggled a finger at him.  
" You mean Tails and Shadow…" Sonic grinned, snapping at her finger a little playfully.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Green eyes blinked as she adjusted her coat a little.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Oh…I suppose."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Matching green blinked once and he cocked his head to the side. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …Rouge?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " What?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Is there something you're not telling me?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I assumed he told you."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …Told me what?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Maybe you'd better go talk to him yourself, Sonikku." She smiled gently at him.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The blue hedgehog blinked and frowned, his ears folding outwards a little.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You mean he's leaving too?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Rouge sighed gently and nodded, noting his look. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Sonic, we knew that he was going to leave eventually."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I know." Sonic frowned. " I thought he would have told me…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The bat thought about that and nodded, remembering that both Sonic and Shadow had been talking, hanging out and keeping each other company after the GUN building was destroyed. She had assumed that the two had gotten pretty close. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Apparently not close enough, since Shadow had told her and not him that he was going to be leaving Mystic Ruins soon. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I'm sorry, Sonikku. I'm sure he would have told you."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Or he would have upped and left, leaving Tails and me wondering…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** She frowned again.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Sonic…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Sorry." He rubbed his head a little. " Do you know where he is? I think he went on a run this morning…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Last time I saw Shadow, he was near the waterfall. Sitting by that tree near the bank of the drop off." Rouge said, pointing toward the waterfall that was on the side of the mountains, before heading off into the deeper parts of the jungle. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Thanks, Rouge." Sonic said, turning to wander toward the stairs that would lead him down so that he could get to the waterfall. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** One hand touched his shoulder. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Want a hand? You're slower than a turtle when you're wandering down the stairs with those things."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " If you'd just give me permission to stop using them, I could just run down the stairs!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Oh, don't you try that shit on me now, Sonic!" She laughed, rubbing his head a little. " God, you're so stubborn." **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Look who's talking."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Hey, do you want help or not?" She said, poking his nose. " I can just take you up into the air and then DROP your hedgehog ass…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic folded his ears and gave her that pouty look on his face again, which only made her laugh harder. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You're such a brat."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** He grinned, picking up his crutches as her wings expanded, flapped and she was flying slightly over him. Rouge's hands took a hold under his arms and she lifted the wriggling blue hedgehog off of the ground and headed for the bottom of the stairs with him. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " WEE!" Sonic cried, laughing and teasing her as she carried him.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Rouge laughed as she put him down on his feet at the base of the stairs, helping him with his crutches again. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You're on your own now, hedgehog."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I know. Thanks again, Rouge."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I'll be back in a few days to check on you, you know. So be good." Another poke to his nose.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic smirked and nodded as she started to flap her wings again, heading off to pick up her bag that she left up at the top of the stairs. He moved his hands to cup them over his mouth to call up after her.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Say 'hi' to Red for me before you steal his emerald again, okay?!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Rouge looked back and promptly flipped him off, grinning slyly as she dipped down to grab her bag. Sonic matched her salute with two of his own, then waved as she smirked at him and flew off into the blue cloudless sky. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** The hedgehog chuckled a little to himself, putting his hands on the bars of the crutches and starting off for the waterfall.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Black and red was leaning up against the tree as he watched water fall from the top of the mountain, into the spring beneath him. The water would then travel underneath the ground to be let out at a point of the cliff, where it would fall into the ocean and become one with it. Although it was loud and noisy, Shadow usually felt pretty tranquil while he was watching the water fall. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** His bag and a brown cloak were neatly folded up next to him. **
>>>> 
>>>> ** Eyes closing softly, the hedgehog thought about the memories that he had regained in the time that he had fallen from ARK. All pieces of the huge puzzle that was his mind. Some of them were peaceful. Others dangerous and scary. Almost frightening.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** He would wonder about the "Ultimate Life Form" tag that was pretty much branded onto him. He wasn't sure if he was actually the Ultimate Life or not – or if his powers were because of that, rather than just being special. After all, Sonic had his speed and he wasn't the Ultimate Life Form…but then again he too could use the Chaos Control powers that Shadow had.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** It was very confusing. There were so many pieces still missing.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " So…were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Crimson eyes opened quickly, turning to see Sonic leaning up against the other side of the tree, balancing on one of the crutches. The other one he had set on the ground.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Sonic…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Well…?" Green eyes looked a little concerned.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …No. I just didn't know how to tell you."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You seemed to tell Rouge just fine." Sonic said, starting to sit down next to Shadow.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …It's…sort of easier with her."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The blue hedgehog's ears flicked and he looked at the black one.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " What…?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** A chuckle.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " She expected me to be gone sooner."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " And the rest of us didn't?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I could tell that…some wanted me to stay."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic leaned back against the tree, quietly sighing. Shadow glanced at him, then back to the waterfall.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I would have liked to think that you could have told me…since we've been…you know. Actually talking."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I'm sorry." Black ears folded a little as his eyes half-lidded. " I just, couldn't seem to find the right time to tell you."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " So you were just going to leave?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " No. I would have told you."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** One finger pointed at the bag and the cloak.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " That says different."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Screw you, faker." Shadow snapped, eyes slanting.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Ah…now _that's_ the Shadow I know." Sonic winked, grinning.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The black hedgehog blinked at the blue hedgehog and then shook his head.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " No wonder Knuckles calls you a brat."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** A smirk.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …So. Where you headed?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Eyes continued to watch the water fall.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I don't know yet. There's so much…that isn't there, you know?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Pieces of your memory?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Yes…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic nodded.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I sort of hoped it would have been easier for you. To regain that back which you lost."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You're not the only one. But…I can't stay here."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You're more than welcome to."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Red blinked and turned again to stare.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …What? I mean it, Shadow."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " If you had told me that before I fell from ARK, I would have thought you were crazy."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic laughed.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Well, before then I didn't want you to."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " And why do you want me to now?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " That's easy…" Sonic trailed off, tilting his head to look up at the cloudless sky.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …Well?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You're my friend, Shadow."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow blinked. _A friend…_**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I know it's sort of…odd, isn't it? We were enemies before, but…I consider you my friend now, Shadow." Sonic smiled a little, nose still pointed to the sky. " We've…gone through a lot. Together."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Sonic…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …Yes?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Dark tan lips curled into a smile.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I'm glad to be considered…a friend. To you."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic matched his smile as he looked at his friend.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I just want you to know that you're not alone in the world…I don't know what happened in the past – but it must be hard to think of yourself as being alone. With no one to count on."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " And I can count on you then? An old enemy?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Why not? You helped me out."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I _could_ have just been repaying the debt to you since you saved me first."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic smirked, folding his arms behind his head.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Yeah, but if that was the case, why stick around? Worried about me, Shadow?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Red eyes pinpointed slightly and he quieted.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …Worried about your stubborn ass? Ha!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** One fist lightly socked Shadow in the arm.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Suuuure, Shadow." He winked.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The black and red hedgehog laughed, leaning forward on bent legs.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The two were quiet for a few moments, just enjoying the waterfall sounds and noises of harmony and serenity. Shadow closed his eyes, thinking a little to himself.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** _Please don't ask me to stay._**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Sonic, I…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I know."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " W-what?" Shadow questioned, quirking a brow.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I'm not going to ask you to stay, Shadow. I know how it is."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " How what is?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " That itch. The one you're getting. That's why you won't stay."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " And what _'itch'_ would that be?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " To see the world. To run and to not be tied down to anything—"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Which I'm sure _you've_ had many times…" Shadow interrupted.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …and to be free." Sonic finished.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Ears perked this time.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …Free?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic smiled again.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Yeah. I'm not going to pretend that I know what it's like to be asleep for fifty or so many years…to not…know what…life is."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow's memories of being locked away sparked up again… He shivered lightly.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Just…promise me one thing." Sonic added.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " …Promise?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " If you need help, you'll let me know. Okay?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " What if I'm on the other side of the planet?"  
" Then run here. Run home. Just promise me, Shadow."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The black hedgehog thought for a moment and then nodded.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I promise."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic laughed a little.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Thanks, Shadow."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Only if you promise me something."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Hm? What's that?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " To use those crutches, don't rush yourself and get better so Rouge doesn't kill you."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Awww!!" Sonic whined, ears folding.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " C'mon, Sonikku!" Shadow laughed. " Promise me that, or I'll be back to help her strap you to a bed and we'll jam another IV in you!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Agh! That's not even funny! Okay okay! I promise!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The black and red hedgehog smiled and nodded, appeased.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " That's not fair, you know. You get to go run and have fun and I have to sit here and be bored…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Well, maybe I'll come back sooner so we can go on a run together then."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Oooh…competition…" Sonic practically drooled.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " BUT!" Shadow waved one finger at him. " You have to be better or else tough cookies."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Jeez, what's with you and her and your loopholes?!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " It isn't a loophole, unless you want me to win!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " What?! I will SO beat you!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Then you get better and we'll just see about that!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** The two stared at each other for another moment before both laughing hard.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I'm going to miss arguing with you."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " And beating you with pillows."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " What's with everyone and picking on a poor defenseless hedgehog?!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Defenseless?! I still have scars from when you spin-dashed me you little shit!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " HA! I win then!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Win what?!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " The battle!" Sonic smirked, laughing hard again before yelping as Shadow quickly got him in a headlock and started rubbing on his head with his knuckles. "Agh!! Leggo!" His bandaged legs kicked as he laughed, trying to pull on Shadow's ears.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Say uncle!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Never, you faker!!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Say it!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " NEVER!" Sonic started chewing on Shadow's arm, trying to get him to let go.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You cheat." Shadow said as he rubbed his arm once he let go of that blue head.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Do not." Another grin.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow chuckled as he started to stand. Sonic looked up at him and frowned a little.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Going already?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Yeah…I wanted to get going before noon."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You sure you don't want to stay another day? Leave in the morning?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Thanks for the offer but no. I need to get going. I think if I…go experience this place more…that I might be able to trigger more memories."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " That's true…" Sonic blinked as Shadow offered him a hand to stand up. He took it and was pulled onto his feet, picking up a crutch to lean on. " Where you going to stay?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I'll figure something out. If I need a place to crash, I can always Chaos Control here."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Do you still have the Silver Emerald?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Yup. I would prefer my green one…but I don't know where it is. This will have to do until I can swap it for my old one."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic nodded, quills bouncing a little. Shadow bent and picked up his bag and cloak, tucking it under his arm as he put his backpack over his shoulders.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Good luck, Shadow."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Thanks…I'll need it."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " And be careful."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Oh? Careful like you or careful-careful?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Bastard."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** A grin.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You remember what you promised…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I will. You do the same. I'll be back sooner than you think."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " I don't know about that…there's a lot to see out there…"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Well, if you get bored, try to catch me, faker."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic matched Shadow's grin.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Is that a challenge?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You bet it is."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You're on, faker."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Wouldn't have it any other way."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** One peach arm reached out, holding his hand to his former enemy. Shadow looked at it for a moment before taking it with his own hand. They smiled at each other before letting go, allowing Shadow to fish out the Silver Chaos Emerald from his bag.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You have the head start, faker." Sonic mused, backing up to let Shadow summon the energy needed for a transport. " You'll need it…since I'll catch up to you in a flash."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Talk is cheap, Sonikku." Shadow winked, holding out the emerald a little. " Action speaks louder, after all."**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " You're just full of clichés, aren't you?"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " Calling the kettle black?" That one was deliberate.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " No, I'm calling YOU black, faker!" Sonic winked.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Shadow grinned, holding up the silver emerald.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** " CHAOS…CONTROL!!!"**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Sonic squinted a little as the silver energy rings appeared around the black and red hedgehog, power spiking around him as the teleporting move started. Shadow stuck his tongue out at his friend, which was matched quickly by Sonic, before the emerald's energy overtook him and he was gone.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> ** A blip appeared on the top of the mountain, near where the water began its drop off – turning into the waterfall that the hedgehogs had been watching. Shadow peered over the edge as he reformed into sight – looking down at Sonic, who seemed to be a little saddened by his departure. Crimson watched quietly as the blue hedgehog picked up the other crutch, tucking it under his arm, and hobbled off for the workshop.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** Thoughts ran through Shadow's mind as he watched Sonic walk off.**
>>>> 
>>>> ** But he smiled.**
>>>> 
>>>> **_ Goodbye for now…my friend. We'll meet again soon._  
The black hedgehog watched blue wander away before turning and walking away, following the river as he disappeared into another burst of silver light – to parts unknown.**
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> * * *
>>>> 
>>>> **
>>>> 
>>>> Sonic/Shadow and crew are all © SEGA. Used for fun.  
Writing is © ME/Indilee. Please don't take. Thank you!  
  
Thus – the end of Experimentation. I must say even though it took me a very long time to write – I believe it turned out to be one of the best stories I've put so much time into.   
  
Sonic: Wow, it's finally over…And I'm all better! Yay! ! 
>>>> 
>>>> Shadow: …but where am I going?  
  
Oh? Well…we'll find out later, I suppose?  
  
Sonic: What does that mean?  
  
Shadow: …I smell a sequel.   
  
Mwhahaha!!!! XD


End file.
